


The Dead Don't Dance

by TheNoNameDame



Category: Argyle Goolsby, Calabrese, Ghost (Swedish Band)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Smut, plot heavy, zombies!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-14 08:27:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 43
Words: 83,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13003797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNoNameDame/pseuds/TheNoNameDame
Summary: A young scientist gets the chance to tour with her favorite band as a pole dancer. It doesn't end the way she thinks it will and changes her outlook on life. When a reanimate from her lab goes sour and creates a legion of the undead it leads her on an adventure she'd never imagine possible. Can she save the world and keep her relationships straight?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All band members in this work are used as characters, not the identities behind them. I don't own anything except the original characters and, obviously, it's fiction.  
> Ch6- light female solo  
> Ch8-female oral, PIII, about 1/2 way through ch.  
> Ch12- hj, PIII  
> Ch14- M/F Goolsby, 2nd half of ch.  
> Ch18- M/F, Davey, interrupted, about 1/2 way through ch.  
> Ch19- bj, Davey  
> Ch20- M/F, Bobby  
> Ch21- M/F, male solo, Davey, Bobby  
> Ch25- M/F, Goolsby  
> Ch26- mm, PIII  
> Ch28- hj, Alpha  
> Ch29- M/F, PIII  
> Ch30- M/F, Davey  
> Ch32- multi, Alpha, Goolsby  
> Ch33- M/F, PIII, 2nd half  
> Ch34- bj, PIII  
> Ch37- M/F, slight bondage, PII  
> Ch42- bj, PIII  
> Ch43- M/M/F, Alpha, PIII

“Nice, now open your legs wider. As wide as they will go.”  
I did as my pole teacher instructed and then swung my legs back behind me to circle around the pole and land in the splits.   
“Good work. Next!” she walked off to watch another woman perform the trick. We’d been working on it for two classes now.   
I loved pole dancing. It wasn’t just fitness and it wasn’t only to be sexy. It also helped me forget the rest of my life outside of the studio. Not that my life was terrible or that others didn’t have a way worse go of it than me but working at a job where I helped reanimate the dead was stressful and having an unsupportive boyfriend was disheartening. The movement and strength building properties of the workout helped with both.  
I walked carefully in my platforms to where my water sat on the edge of the space. I took a large drink and watched the last student do the sequence. She was good, nearly to the intermediate stage, and I thought she looked amazing when she moved. She had jet black hair and a large vine of flowers snaked down her right side.  
“Okay, ladies, don’t forget tomorrow we’re holding closed auditions. Sign up tonight or miss out. It’s your chance to travel with a professional band. Also, class next week will be an hour earlier than usual. Be safe on your way home.”  
I sat down on the bench to untie my boots and my friend, Carline, sat down beside me to do the same.   
“Are you going to sign up?” Carline asked me.   
I thought for a second before shaking my head. “Nah, I would never get it. Why bother? Just stress myself out over nothing.”  
She leaned in closer to me. “I heard it’s a band you like.”  
I shoved my boots into my bag. “Oh yeah, who?”  
“Uh, the one where they wear all the makeup and masks… Ghost?”   
I nearly dropped my bag on the floor and my hands felt like they weren’t working right. Papa and the ghouls were coming to my studio and looking to hire someone? I couldn’t believe it. I definitely wasn’t going to do it now, I’d have to actually dance in front of them. No way.  
“That’s cool,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I know Angie’s gonna get it.”   
Carline and I watched the lithe, bright red haired woman walk by. I thought of Papa sitting behind the one way mirror, watching her dance and deciding on the spot that she was the one. It gave me a bit of a pang in my stomach but I brushed it off.  
“Probably,” Carline said pulling her bag up onto her shoulder. “You have to try out anyway.”  
I shook my head.   
“Oh, bullshit. You have to at least try out, they’re your favorite band. You could meet them, even if you don’t get it.”  
“You mean when I don’t get it,” I said. We moved toward the door together and Darla, the teacher, called out to us.   
“If you want to try out, sign up. Even if you aren’t sure you want it, it’s a good experience.” She pointed to the sign-up sheet on a clipboard hanging near the door and I paused. Could I really do this? I knew that I would love to meet them but the thought of fucking up and humiliating myself in the process put a damper on the whole thing for me.   
Carline was watching me like a hawk. “You know you can’t let this slip by you,” she said.   
“Damn it, I hate when best friends are right,” I joked, then I picked up the pen. “Fuck it, let’s do it.”   
Carline smacked me on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit.”   
Angie came up behind us as I filled in my information.   
“Excuse me,” she said. It wasn’t the kind, pardon me, I’d like to squeeze past you excuse me but a get-out-of-the-way-loser excuse me. Carline moved to the side and let her and her three followers through. I heard some snarky remark and the group of women laughed.   
Carline rolled her eyes at me and I shrugged it off. “Forget them, who cares?”   
We walked out to the parking lot and I hugged her. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said as she split off to go to her car.   
“Nope, it’s closed. I can’t come in because I’m not auditioning.”  
A new wave of fear rolled through me. I knew I could do it with her support but being in a room surrounded by the high horse bitches who thought they ruled the class sounded like shit.   
I got into my car and cued up Square Hammer on my phone. I wasn’t going to back out now. I’d better work on a routine… and I had to tell Todd.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more set up.

“I’m back,” I called. There was no answer but that wasn’t surprising. “I signed up for an audition tomorrow.” I put my stuff down at the front door and began taking my clothes off. I walked through the bedroom and saw that Todd was right where he always was, on the computer. I stopped and kissed him on the back of the neck.  
“I missed you today,” I said. I stood up and dropped my underwear on the floor. I was standing there, stark naked, and waiting for him to see me.  
“What?” he said still typing away at his code.  
“I said I missed you. And I have an audition tomorrow.”  
I moved toward the bathroom for my shower and Todd hopped up out of the computer chair. “An audition? An audition for what?” he asked. It didn’t sound like he was rooting for me.  
“It’s for a band…” I said turning on the shower. “They’re going on tour and want a couple of dancers to be on stage… or … something.”  
“What band?” he asked. He lifted the toilet seat and peed as he was talking to me.  
“Rumors are that it could be Ghost,” I said trying my best to sound nonchalant.  
He finished his business and dropped the seat loudly, flushing and moving to the sink. “Hah, no way. Those guys are crazy and the people that go to those shows are too rough for you.”  
I bristled but kept washing my hair. “I already signed up so I have to go.”  
“That’s fine,” he dried his hands on the clean towel that I had put out for after my shower. “I mean, really, you don’t have to worry about it.”  
He left the room and I was steaming, not just from the water. He had a way of making me feel small but kept hoping that one day he’d morph into the supportive, adult partner I wished for. Once I was out of the shower I dressed in the bathroom before I went back out to talk to Todd. He was on the bed, flipping through TV channels so I climbed onto the bed and snuggled up to him.  
He continued to search the stations as I nuzzled his neck and kissed his cheek. “Ugh, not tonight. Is this about this damn band?”  
I sat back on the pillows. “No. I just missed you and we haven’t… done anything in awhile, you know.”  
He scooted farther away from me on the bed. “That’s not true, you went down on me like two days ago.”  
I moved closer to him again. “Yeah, and you said that you were going to get me back when you weren’t so tired.” I moved his hand to my breast and he pulled away like it was a hot burner.  
“I’m tired tonight, too. If you weren’t at that stripper place all the time, getting home so late, then I wouldn’t be so tired.”  
“Sorry,” I said. I kissed his cheek and rolled over laying my head on my pillow and listening to some late night tv host tell jokes. I swore to myself that I was going to crush that fucking audition.  
I woke the next day to my alarm clock and stretched. Looking over at Todd I saw that he was asleep on his back and I could tell that he was hard beneath the covers. I seriously considered reaching down and grabbing his dick. Maybe I could just lube him up and hop on. A lot of guys would love to wake up to their naked girlfriend riding them. I thought better of it after recalling what happened the night before.  
It always seemed to work that when I was horny or craving attention he would be distant and closed off to the idea. It left me frustrated for days on end and resentful that he’d leave me in the lurch when I was happy to drop to my knees any time he wanted, even if I was busy or tired. I crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroine's day job

“Morning, are you ready for the big show?” my boss, David, asked. He was an older man who was always cheerful. I was amazed that he could stay so positive in our line of work. He could find the positives in even the most failed experiments.  
There was only one time that I saw him in any other mood but positive. We’d been working on a young man who’d passed away from a drug overdose. His parents, among some of the most wealthy in Austin, wanted their son back as soon as possible so we were stuck working longer lab hours that we should have been. With reanimating the dead being such a new technology there were no labor laws or workers right organizations yet. This incident changed all of that.   
One of my co-workers had been chugging Red Bull all night to keep sharp but he’d run out and began making little mistakes that were commonly attributed to lack of sleep. He screwed up, got too close, and that one little mistake cost him his life. Our policy is to destroy any decedent that hurts, maims, or kills anyone, for any reason and under any circumstance but this guy's parents were made of money so they got to keep him and we got a new building to house the lab.   
David had shut the lab down and sent us all home that night. He had the bio crew come in and helped them clean everything up. That was the only night I saw him show anything but positivity for the job. It was also the only time I saw everyone in one room cry.  
I was ready for the day though, the work part at least. I had all of my notes organized and we were reanimating a 47 year old woman who had been killed in a car accident. With all of the research into stem cells we’d been able to make organs and tissues to replace the ones that had been damaged in the accident and I thought we had a good chance of complete restoration.  
Because we’d had to grow all of these new parts we’d had to keep her cooled longer than usual but I had faith that we could get this job done. It was the first procedure of it’s kind and I knew that I was part of something huge.  
The surgical team was done with her after lunch. Along with her new organs, we always implanted a chip in their heads that would instantly kill them again with the push of a button. In the rare case that a decedent didn’t turn out right it was easy to put them down.   
I had spent my morning prepping the lab so by the time they wheeled the decedent in I was more than ready. The techs intubated her and started her IVs then David and I took over, filling her restored body with a cocktail of chemicals and viruses.   
She began to stir at 14 minutes in. By the half hour mark she was looking around and making noises. At 1 hour and 28 minutes she was ready to have her tubes removed.   
“Mrs. Madison, can you hear me?”   
She turned her eyes in my direction, they were no longer cloudy. I took out my pen light and tested the dilation of her pupils. They were responsive and I knew that we were on the right track.   
“You are in the lab at Rest-or. You passed away and we brought you back. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” We never fooled around with getting right down to the heart of what was happening to the patients. It confused them and made them frustrated if they didn’t know what was happening right away.  
“Is… Is Katie alright?” the woman asked in a gravelly voice. She clear her throat and tried again. “Is my daughter Katie alright? She was in the car with me, we were going to pick out her wedding cake.”  
“Yes, ma’am Katie is just fine. In fact she was the one who brought you into us.” I kept my eye on her heart rate and blood pressure. Her oxygen was leveling out nicely. “She couldn’t have her mom miss her big day, right?”   
Mrs. Madison started to cry and I knew we were home. If they could feel emotions then the process was a success.   
“I know that you want to see her as soon as possible but we need to monitor you just a little longer to make sure you aren’t going to crash and we’ll get you two reunited very soon.”   
I continued to make conversation with the woman as we slowly began the process of removing her restraints. I led her to the dressing room with a tech and explained to her that her family had brought in clothing for her to wear. It helped the restored to feel more normal and comfortable when they could wear something they were used to. I joined David in the surveillance room to watch as this mother was reunited with her daughter.   
When the door opened Mrs. Madison hesitated, that wasn’t unusual. Her daughter brought her hands up over her mouth and rushed to embrace her mother. The two cried and hugged and laughed. It was beautiful.   
“I am so proud of all that has been accomplished in this lab,” David said sitting in one of the rolling chairs once we were sure she wasn’t going to rip her daughter’s face off. “But, I’ll tell you, I’m tired.”  
“I know boss, this was a big one. Your paper on this is going to set the standard for the entire industry.” I crossed my arms and heaved a sigh of relief. That was one big hurdle down for the day. After what I’d done at work you would think that dancing for a band would be cake. At least now it was the only knot in my stomach.   
“I hope so,” he said removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose with one weathered hand. “It’ll be my last.”  
“What?” I looked over at him in disbelief. “You can’t quit now, there’s still so much to be done!”   
He looked up and smiled a weary smile. “Oh, I know that. I also know that you are going to carry on where I leave off and you are going to make revolutionary changes of your own.”   
My jaw wagged soundlessly and while I felt lifted up and appreciated, I also felt terrified. If I ever doubted any aspect of my work I could run it by David and he had the answer, he always had the answer. I wasn’t sure that I was ready to be the one everyone came to for the final word.   
“You aren’t getting the job right away,” he laughed. “I wouldn’t just throw you into the deep end without a life raft. It’s going to be at least a year before I retire, you have nothing to worry about.”   
I nodded at him and turned my face back to the screen. Mother and daughter were sitting on the couch now, holding hands tightly and talking like they hadn’t seen each other in weeks. I remembered they hadn’t and my heart felt warm. It was moments like this that made my job worth it.   
After they had time to get reacquainted, we sent in the counselor who gave them the instructions for maintenance of the restored. I say instructions but it was more like a novel. There was a lot of upkeep when you came back from the dead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The audition.

The auditions were being held a little later than my normal class time so I had a few minutes to rush home and freshen up my hair and makeup. I tossed my sexiest pole costume into my bag and kissed Todd goodbye. I was headed for the door when he called out to me.  
“You’re kind of fancied up for pole class, don’t you think?”  
“I told you, it’s to audition for Ghost.”  
He clicked his tongue. “Oh, that’s right, your satanic lovers.” He gave a laugh.  
I wanted to slap him, to yell at him to quit being such an asshole and just let me have this. Instead I just went out the front door without even saying goodbye.  
In the parking lot of the studio I was very close to not even parking but just turning right back out onto the street and going home to my shitty boyfriend. I saw a long black car pull up and circle around the back of the building and my heart broke into a gallop.  
They were here. They were really here and I was going to be dancing for them. I had imagined dancing for men many times. I had tried imagining dancing for Todd but it never ended well and I couldn’t take the rejection of actually trying and having him stare at me disinterested the whole time. Maybe I could dance for them the way I wished to perform for Todd, like they appreciated it.  
I pulled into my usual space at the back of the lot and took a few deep breaths. I can do this, I thought to myself. If I can bring someone back from the dead I can perform a pole routine for someone I would never see again. Easy. I headed into the studio to change into my costume.  
In the dressing room I examined my shiny black boots and my strappy black dance outfit I’d chosen. It was the hottest outfit I owned and the straps of the bra made a pentagram. I figured that would at least get me noticed. I peeked out into the hall and made sure the coast was clear then came out and shut the door behind me. I was nearly to the studio door when the door to the reserved room opened.  
A tall man in a black outfit and mask came out of the doorway and I froze. He looked away from me, down the other end of the hall, and then in my direction, right into my eyes.  
“Hi,” he said. He shut the door behind him and approached me with a spring in his step. “I’m Alpha.”  
He held out his hand and I reached for it blindly. His blue eyes were doing their best to swallow me whole.  
“Nice to meet you. Are you going to audition?” he asked.  
I could see a hint of smile in his eyes.  
“Yes, I’m no pro but it’s fun and I’m a really big fan so I couldn’t miss the chance to meet you.”  
He brought the back of my hand up beneath his mask and I felt his soft lips connect with my skin. “I look forward to seeing you perform,” he said. With that he went around me and stopped at the door to the men’s restroom. I already felt weak in the knees but he spoke again.  
“I like your outfit,” he said, then he went in and the door closed behind him.  
I looked down, having forgotten I was half naked. I chuckled to myself and headed into the studio.  
Angie was just finishing up her routine. She danced to Ghuleh/Zombie Queen. I figured most of the women would choose that song as everyone imagined that they were, in fact, the Guleh He sang of. I chose a slow song, but one with power. Angie’s finale was a suicide spin and she started it off beautifully. At the very end she caught her lower knee on the wooden floor and skinned it pretty bad. She took a bow and headed back to sit with her band of lap dogs.  
I didn’t have the most sophisticated tricks in my routine but the tricks I had, I knew by heart. I watched one other woman, closer to my skill level, become nervous and have to start over. She was incredibly shaky and in my mind I was cheering her on. When her Ghuleh routine ended she took a red faced bow and I walked up to the pole rubbing my hands together. I used my alcohol covered cleaning cloth to get rid of the oils from everyone else’s hands then tossed it on the floor near the laundry room.  
“I am Rayna and I will be dancing to Bible.”  
The quiet sounds of the song came from the speakers and I closed my eyes. I imagined that they were loving what they saw, that they couldn’t get enough of me and I was the only woman in the room.  
“...and there was silence over the ocean…” came the voice from the speakers. I imagined that he was singing only for me. I climbed and twirled, sticking everything and making sure I was pointing my toes.  
“In his image, this voice made a man... and a woman to love each other…”  
When the heavy guitar came in I pulled out my carousel turn and landed gently on the floor with my knees. I had a floor work routine worked out in my head but decided to throw caution to the wind and make it sexier. I did an upward split, shoulder walkover and the crawl. Near the end of the song I pulled my body up and threw my legs over my head. I’d been working on my split as often as I could and I was pleasantly surprised to find that my legs went farther than they had before.  
When the last strains of the song rang out and faded I looked around and the faces of the women who’d laughed at me were all the confirmation I knew that I had nailed it. Even though I was aware the band wasn’t going to pick me, I had shown those bitches that I wasn’t just some nerdy scientist. I could be hot as well.  
I took my seat and heard clapping from the reserved room behind the large mirror. The blood ran to my cheeks and I felt myself glowing. There were two more women trying out and they were both pretty good. I tried not to compare myself to them but I knew this was going to be a close race.  
After everyone was done with their turns, our teacher came in to talk to us.  
“Great work, ladies!” She clapped for all of us. “I know this has already been an unnerving process but it’s going to be just a little longer. They’re talking with their manager and they should be in in just a moment. You’ll be notified by phone if you get the position.”  
I took the free moment to make a restroom run. I had that jittery, need to pee feeling that you get when you’ve found the perfect place in hide and seek and you know it’s going to be a while before you’re found. I was on my way back to wait and I stopped at the door of the practice room. I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. The viewing room door opened and a couple of the nameless ghouls stepped out. They were chatting quietly to one another and I couldn’t hear what they were saying.  
I was frozen looking at them. I recognized one of them as Alpha, he nodded at me. Before I could get my bearings about me Papa Emeritus III came through the door, straightening his jacket. I could only stare at him. He seemed slightly taller than I had imagined and I was trying to remember to breathe.  
He looked over at me and it felt like time stopped. He caught my eyes with his and I was transfixed by the hazel and white of his irises. He started coming toward me.  
“Hello,” he said with a grin.  
“Hi,” I managed to stammer.  
“You should go sit with the others so we can all talk.”  
I just nodded and went into the studio. My heart was beating in my ears as I took a seat on the bench lining the wall of the huge room. Angie and her friends were laughing and smiling together. I really wished that Carline could have come in, at least for this part. I waited awkwardly with no one to talk to and no phone to play around on. Finally, the door opened and the ghouls began to file in one after another followed by Papa. He was relaxed in the hall but now he stood straighter and had a regal air about him.  
He bowed to the women assembled then clasped his hands behind his back. “Hello, ladies,” he said in his mischievous growl. “I know there are only two positions to be filled but I want you to know that I am proud of all of you. It took courage to perform for complete strangers.” He looked right at me with those eyes.  
“I thank you all for your time and, I have to say, you have given my band mates and I a lot to… think about.” He glanced at me again and I swore he gave me a smirk. “Good evening.”  
Then just like that they turned and left the room. I should have said something to him in the hall. I thought I’d get the chance to at least say how much I liked their music or that I had been to several of their concerts or have them sign my copy of Gore Noir with them on the cover. It was over even quicker than I imagined. My heart sank. I was kicking myself for not taking the chance when I had it, instead I had frozen like a deer in headlights. Well, time to go home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayna gets a call.

I hung my keys on the hook inside my apartment door and opened my mouth to call out to Todd. I thought better of it and saved my breath. He never answered me most of the time any way.   
To my surprise he came out of the bedroom quickly. “Hey, what took you so long? I’m starving,” he said taking a beer from our fridge.  
“I told you I’d be later tonight and that I left food in the refrigerator for you to cook.”  
He shrugged. “Yeah, but you know I don’t really do the cooking thing.”   
I rolled my eyes and headed for the kitchen.   
“Whew, my day was long,” I said. He didn’t even seem to remember that I’d auditioned for anything.  
“Oh, yeah? Me too. Jesus, I had to help a guy straighten out a chunk of code that was so easy. The hardest part was explaining what I did to him. What a douche,” he kept going. He talked on and on and I just spaced out as I cooked dinner for us. When the food was done I plated it and took it to the table.   
Todd seemed to have gotten all of his day out so I took the opportunity to share with him how my day went.   
“I assisted in the reanimation of the first decedent with transplanted organs. It’s a first in the field, and then David told me that he’ll be retiring some time next year and he’d like me to take over for him. I’d be the head of the lab and it’d be a substantial jump in pay.”   
The money aspect was what seemed to perk him up. “That’s cool. We can get a bigger place.”  
I sighed and looked around the apartment. There were dirty clothes and trash all over the place. Every once in awhile Todd would get a wild hair and clean but for the most part I worked, cooked, cleaned, and tried to have some time to myself with my dance classes. There was no way I would be able to keep up with a bigger place if I still had to carry his ass. Instead of starting a fight I ignored the comment and continued on.   
“I think I did well at my audition,” I said not looking up at him.  
Todd snickered.   
“What?” I asked, pretty pissed now.   
“I saw all of you at the spring showcase and you were cute but a lot of those chicks are just hot in a way that you aren’t.”  
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Excuse me?”   
The dumbass seemed to have caught on that he was digging himself into a hole. “I just mean that you’re cute but real strippers have to be hot.”  
He cleared his throat and went back to eating. That was the last straw for me. I was done.  
“This isn’t working out. I’m… I’m moving out.”   
He seemed shocked. “I do so much around here. I take care of you.”  
I wanted to laugh but that seemed mean so I took a deep breath and continued.   
“I love you and it was fun but as time has moved on I feel like we’re growing in different directions.”  
He shook his head no. “We’re just the same as we always are.”  
“That’s problem. There’s no excitement or romance or anything new in our lives.”  
He looked at me, his mouth still hanging open in surprise. “That’s not true, we just got that new tv for the bedroom!”  
I shook my head.  
“Is this because you met those band guys? You dream of traveling and you think it’d be fun to go on tour with a bunch of guys? That’s not going to happen! You had the fun of meeting them now let it go.” He said the last part gently, slowly, as if I was a child who wouldn’t otherwise understand his words.  
I didn’t reply but stood up to take my food to the fridge. As I was wrapping up the last of the dinner, my phone rang. I picked it up and didn’t recognize the number. I answered it anyway in case it was someone from the lab.  
“Hello?” I perched the phone between my shoulder and my ear.  
“Hello, may I please speak with Rayna?” I recognized the voice immediately and it sent chills up my spine.  
“This is she.”  
“Hello, Rayna. I wanted to call and congratulate you myself. You have been chosen to join our crew as a dancer.”  
I felt like my chest would explode. “Really?” It was a very undignified response.  
He gave a soft laugh. “I quite enjoyed your performance, we all did. Your choice of song was the clincher. I look forward to traveling with you. I will have my assistant e-mail you all of the information and dates. We are leaving soon so please get your affairs in order.”  
“Thank you. I look forward to it as well.”  
“Goodbye, Bellissima.”  
I pushed the end button and leaned against the counter to absorb what I’d been told. Todd came up behind me and started to put his arms around me.  
“Sorry,” he said.  
“What?”  
“I’m sorry you didn’t get it.”  
I laughed. I laughed and didn’t stop until I’d walked through the living room, our bedroom, and into the bathroom.  
“Are you okay? You seem like you’re cracking up a bit,” he said following me. “I know you have a huge crush on them but it’ll be okay.”  
“Nope. I’m just fine.” I turned to look at him in the tiny space. “They hired me.”  
The shock on his face was even more apparent than when I told him I was leaving him.  
“They hired me and… I’m going. I was thinking I would stay here and take the job David is offering me but, you know what? I’m highly skilled at what I do and if he won’t hold the job for me, I could start my own lab if I really wanted to. I’m going and when I get back, I’m getting my own place.”   
I squeezed past him and went to our room. I began gathering things to take on the road. I wasn’t sure if they’d give me a costume but I made sure to throw the one I’d worn for them into the washer to take with me. For too long, I’d felt bogged down by worry and crappy self-esteem. I was going to try something new.  
The e-mail I received not long after the phone call was extensive. There were rules, regulations, and requirements that I hadn’t thought of for just a pole dancing job. It turned out they would give me an outfit and new boots. Bonus! I also had to sign a non-disclosure agreement but that didn’t surprise me. We’d be leaving in five days. That gave me plenty of time to get my shit together… but I still had to talk to clear this leave with work.  
David assured me that the position wasn’t going anywhere and neither was he for at least ten months and more like a year. He was more annoyed that I wouldn’t be there to help out and the guy who would take my place wasn’t as seasoned as I was.  
“I’m gonna miss you. We’re here if you get tired of the rock and roll life.”  
I gave him and huge hug and thanked him for everything. Then I packed my personal things so the new guy could take over my desk and walked out of work with a smile on my face.   
The next few days were spent learning choreography and how the show worked. I was really hoping to see the band again but they weren’t at the rehearsals. It was just me and Angie and the crew. They took our measurements and shoe sizes to get our stage gear made. It was a neat process and I was out of my mind excited to get on the road. Being around Angie so much, on the other hand, wasn’t going to be such a treat.  
“You know, my friend Jana should have gotten this gig,” she said to me as we took a water break on the last day. “I don’t know what they were thinking when they picked you. I heard you do science or something like that.”  
“Yeah, I work at Rest-or. I’m the lab manager.”  
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean it was something to be proud of. I meant that you’re a nerd. Sure, you can execute the moves but it takes something special to be sexy.” She got up when the choreographer started our music again. “Don’t worry, Jana is available when they realize what a mistake they’ve made.”   
She got to her pole and began running through the routine. I had wondered myself why they’d picked me. Too late to worry about that now. Now was the time to do the best I could and try to enjoy the ride despite my new bitch from Hell tourmate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little solo stuff and the tour begins.

The night before I was set to meet the bus I was having a hell of a time sleeping. Todd had been sleeping on the couch since the night I told him I wanted to end it and my loneliness was worse than ever. He thought he was punishing me but really it was kind of nice to have the whole bed to myself for once, stretching out felt good after the long rehearsals I’d been putting in.   
I watched videos of the band on my laptop and felt nervous all over again. I worried that they would see me dance again and decide that picking me was a mistake. Eh, at least I’d have the adventure.  
Watching video after video I realized how much I loved the music. The concerts I’d been to as a fan were amazing and I was going to get to be a part of that. I watched live songs where Papa would strut and flirt with the audience, touting the benefits of the female orgasm. The way he wiggled his fingers in pantomime made me feel warm beneath the covers.   
I suppose Todd had been at least a little right. I did have at least a bit of a crush on them. The mystery of it all drew me in. I slid my hand beneath the covers and into my pajama pants. I felt anxious for about half a second wondering if they would be able to tell that I masturbated while watching them. I shook my head at these silly thoughts and continued to touch myself. I rubbed small circles over my clit then ran my fingers down to my entrance. When he started to sing Mummy Dust I slipped my finger into my pussy and pressed upwards, massaging my g-spot.   
Papa moved quickly behind Alpha, acting like he was going to grab his ass. Then he shifted to the middle of the stage and climbed onto one of the platforms in the center. “In.God.We.Trust!” he sang in his deep rumble of a voice. He punctuated each word with a sharp thrust of his pelvis and I lost it. I came hard and let out a moan as my fingers worked furiously inside me. I had just settled back down onto the sheets when Todd came in the door without knocking.  
“What’s the matter?”  
“Huh?” I pushed the damp hair off of my face and tried to act nonchalant. “Nothing everything’s quiet in here.”  
He looked around and shut the door harder than he needed to. I closed my laptop and snuggled down into my pillows to finally get some sleep. I had a big day ahead of me tomorrow.

The next morning I awoke before Todd and made a protein shake. All my bags were packed and waiting by the door. At 5 am on the dot my cell phone rang and the driver let me know that she was outside. I looked at Todd, sleeping so soundly on the couch, and felt a twinge of sadness. Not for leaving but for everything I had hoped we’d have together in the future. I locked the door as I left and bounded down the stairs.   
The car was new, black, and luxurious. I went to open my door but the driver came around and got it before I could reach the handle.  
“Ma’am,” she said holding out her hands to take my bags.  
I handed them over to her and felt kind of awkward as having people do things like this was new to me. I got into the backseat and she shut the door for me before stowing my bags in the trunk. Alpha sat in the seat next to me and there was a partition between us and the driver.   
“Hello,” he said. His voice was very slightly muffled by his mask but I could still tell what he was saying. “How are you this early morning? Ready to get on the road?”  
“I’m doing well. Tired, but excited,” I answered. It felt so strange to just be sitting and talking with someone who had been nothing but an idea to me for so long.  
“I can never sleep the night before we go on the road. It’s a shame too because my bed at home is so much more comfortable than the bunks. I can’t even enjoy it one last time,” he said.  
“Yeah.”  
We rode in silence for a couple miles. I felt trapped somewhere between fan and co-worker. I wanted to tell him that I loved his guitar playing but didn’t want to come off as too much of a fangirl.   
“So, how is tour life?” I asked. It was a valid, open ended question that I truly wanted the answer to.  
He gave a shrug. “It’s tour you know. It used to be much more wild but we’ve gotten the show to the point where we have to be prepared every night. You can’t be hungover and you can’t be partied out or you're going to give a shit performance. Which isn’t to say that we don’t have fun…” His voice trailed off and we rolled along in silence again.  
“I voted for you,” he said with his masked face toward the window.   
“What?”  
“I voted for you… I thought you were graceful,” he paused for a moment before looking at me with those sky blue eyes, “I thought you were sexy.”  
I felt myself blushing and wish I’d had my own ghoul mask to hide behind. “Thanks,” I said.   
There was something between us. His leg was resting against mine and with every bump it nudged me a little. I couldn’t be sure if he was feeling the same things I was but I was certain there was a spark on my end. He had an elbow propped on his door and his other hand sat in the seat between us. I lowered my hand, trying not to look like I was trying, and slightly brushed the side of his hand with mine.   
When I did it was like he was burned. He pulled his hand away and placed it in his lap.   
“Sorry,” I said placing my own hands in my lap. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”  
“You didn’t,” he insisted but that’s all he said. We arrived at the bus loading site in silence.   
The driver unloaded my bags and set them by the bus’s cargo hold. I'd brought a backpack along for things I’d want inside. Alpha placed his hand at the small of my back and it was my turn to jump a little. He looked down at me and his eyes seemed like he was smiling. He led me to where the other members were crowded near the bus door. As we got closer I heard the driver arguing with a screeching Angie.  
“She sounds like a ray of sunshine,” Alpha leaned over and whispered to me.  
I stifled a laugh.   
“She can dance though,” I said, not one to bash my fellow woman (out loud anyway).  
Alpha gave a shrug. I had a feeling that we were going to be friends.

The first day and a half was travel to the kick off venue. I did a lot of reading and introducing myself. All the ghouls seemed very nice but I didn’t really hit it off with them the way I had with Alpha. Papa was a rare sight, he mostly stayed in the back, and luckily, except for the occasional passing sneer Angie didn’t speak to me at all.   
My first time running into Papa on the bus was, honestly, a little terrifying. I was in the bunk area, separated from the main area and the back by closed curtains. In order to maintain my splits I was using some of my newfound free time to stretch. I had the heel of my right leg perched on the edge of the top bunk and I was stretching the inside muscles of my legs. I was wearing short workout shorts and not expecting anyone to see what I was doing.   
The curtain separating my space from the back of the bus was flung open suddenly and I was so surprised that I nearly fell. Papa stood there, bewildered to find me in such a state, and just watched me as I struggled to get the heel of my sneaker uncaught from the edge of the bunk. I was finally able to pull it free and stood there in front of him as he inspected me.   
I had been running over ways to break the ice in my head since I’d found out that I got the gig but all those imagined introductions flitted away like butterflies when I came face to face with the man himself.   
“I like what you are doing there,” he said.   
I laughed and mumbled “Thanks, I like what you’re doing, too.”   
He opened the door to the lavatory and gestured to the tiny empty space. “You are also a fan of peeing? Well, step right in, my Dear. Let’s get to know each other.” He waited a beat for me to respond but I had nothing so he stepped in and locked the door behind himself.   
I felt like a total ass. His invitation, as sarcastic as it was, put a bit of a damper on this fantasy that I had of him being romantic and sensual. He seemed like a bit of a jerk. Letting it roll off my back, I resumed my stretches, this time doing a full middle split in the center of the bunk aisle.   
I heard the toilet flush and I was determined not to speak to him in case I happened to say anything else stupid. He opened the door and saw what I was doing. I looked up at him, attempting to seem unfazed, and caught him looking at me with a gleam in his eye. Instead of saying anything to me, he adjusted himself in his pants and zipped his zipper. I just went back to looking at the floor in front of me as I leaned forward to extend my split. He disappeared back behind the curtain and I was kind of glad he was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first show. This is a long one.

I had tried not to focus on being in front of all of those people and I started to feel queasy as we turned into the parking lot. I guess Alpha could sense my fear ramping up because he took my hand and gave it a squeeze.   
“It’s gonna be fine,” he said.   
I never looked over at him, but kept my eyes on all of the people crowding outside the gate to the backstage area. I would just have to do my absolute best and have faith that they would see in me whatever it was that the band had.   
Papa came out of the curtained bunk area once we were parked and did a little pre-bus-exit ritual that I would see him do time after time. He made sure his jacket was straight, his hair looked good, and that his gloves were clean. Once those things checked out he led us all off of the bus.   
The people outside of the gate went wild, breaking into screams. I was wearing black crop top, a short skater skirt with my black dance boots and I was strutting my stuff. Angie waved to the people and blew them kisses but I didn’t even look at them, I was too busy making sure I didn’t fall on the loose gravel. I made it to the door, last one in, and breathed a sigh of relief-first obstacle down. Now to get ready. 

Angie and I shared a small corner of the vanity in the guys room but by the time I’d wound my way through them she’d already placed all of her stuff, covering the area we were both supposed to use. She looked up at me in the reflection as she was lining her lips with blood red liner.  
“Sorry, there’s a bathroom down the hall,” she said and went back to work. Papa glanced over and I thought I saw him shake his head the smallest bit.  
“Hey,” Alpha said to me from the other end of the vanity, “Come set up down here. I have plenty of space and not a lot to fill it with.”  
I heard Angie huff as I moved away.  
“Thank you,” I said putting my small makeup case down on the counter. “Can’t you tell she just loves me?”   
He laughed. “Just avoid her, that’s what we’ve all been doing. Omega said she tried to work her way into his bunk last night.”  
I looked at Omega standing next to us and he nodded.   
“I’m surprised she hasn’t torn the curtains off of Papa’s area yet,” I said. I unzipped my little bag and pulled out an eyeliner.   
“I’m not. That’s what all the women do, they start with us and work their way up to him. Though not many make it that far.”  
I thought about this. What a way to leave a bunch a wreckage behind you. I had my crushes but I wouldn’t do anything like that. Then I thought of all the women who Papa had been with. I guessed that he was different with women he found attractive because he’d been a dick to me. Inspecting him in the mirror as he made sure his white face paint was even, I wondered what he was like when you got close to him. On stage he was all thrusting and talking about fucking but other than the bathroom comment he’d been very quiet and out of the way.   
As though he knew I was staring he turned his white eye to me in the mirror and I focused myself on lining my lashes again. I didn’t want anymore smart ass remarks out of him.   
“Here is your costume,” said our wardrobe master. She handed me a hanger though I don’t know what for as the hanger was bigger than the fabric tied around it. I had auditioned in black shorts and my pentagram top but this was different. It had a bikini top and black bloomers that were scrunched at the back to show off as much of my ass as possible. I guess Alpha saw the fear in my eyes.   
“I can’t wait to see them. You are gonna be great.”   
I gave him half an unconvinced smile.   
“I’m headed to the changing room, come on,” he motioned for me to follow him so I brought my tiny little costume out into the hall and next door to a small private dressing room. When Alpha had come off the bus he was just wearing his mask and street clothes so he hung his suit up in the room and began to undress.   
It was a tiny little room with no partitions, dimly lit, but still open enough for a couple people. He was shirtless and went for the button of his jeans. When he slid them down, standing in only black under wear I was surprised. Alpha was packing.  
I guess he noticed me noticing him because he smiled. “If I’m freaking you out just turn around and let me finish then I’ll get out of your hair. Sorry, I’m used to it being all the guys.”  
“It’s fine,” I said but I still turned my back to him. There was a long decorative mirror on the wall to my right and from the small peek I took Alpha was checking me out as I removed my shirt and put on the bikini top. He seemed excited by what he saw. What the Hell, this was a new life, right?  
“Would you tie my strings, please?” I gazed over my shoulder and lifted my eyebrows at him. He took a deep breath and approached my back. After he’d brushed my dark hair off my shoulders, he took the thin bikini ties in his hands and gently made a bow. I arranged the cups in front and then slipped off my panties from beneath my skirt.   
When I dropped them on the floor I heard him sigh. Smiling to myself I slipped on the small bottoms I’d been handed, adjusted them, then pulled off my skirt. I checked myself in the mirror and thought I didn’t look half bad.   
“I actually kind of like these,” I said posing at him. “What do you think?”   
He had his top on and was trying to wrestle his cock into his form fitting black pants. “I’m so sorry, I know I look like a creep.”  
I lowered my eyes and steeled myself.   
“Would you want me to take care of that for you?” I asked. I looked up at him from beneath mascaraed eyelashes.   
He shook his head. “I hope you don’t hate me but no, thanks.”  
“Oh. Okay.” I grabbed my clothes and went out the door as fast as I could, back to the green room. When I came in the door Omega started a slow clap and whistled. Water, Earth, and the others joined in. I could feel Angie’s eyes burning into me and just avoided her face. My cheeks glowed but the encouragement helped put some water on the fire of anxiety I’d been holding my in my stomach. I did notice that Papa was ignoring all the commotion, he didn’t even turn to see what I looked like. Ugh, he was a tough nut to crack.  
I put all of my makeup away, sat down in front of the mirror, and began to braid the front of my hair in the mirror. I saw the door open and Alpha come in. He walked up behind me, reached over my shoulder, and pick-up his grucifix necklace. He put it over his head and straightened it over the line of buttons on his coat. “You look really beautiful,” he said quietly. Then he left again. 

“Start the line-up,” said a man with a headset on who stuck his head into the room abruptly. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and went out the door. I went after them and Angie followed me. I was a little taller than Papa in my huge platforms as I walked behind him. Angie came up beside me.   
“You’re blocking the hall with that ass of yours. You should probably visit the hotel gym when we get to one. Don’t fuck up out there.” Then she went on by me to walk beside the rest of the group. I hoped she’d fall of the fucking stage.  
The men lined up for their instruments and I waited in my rising platform area to be popped up onto the stage. There was a platform to my right then one beyond tha.t Angie was on the far one and Papa would take his spot in the middle as soon as he had his mic checked.   
I tested the pole and got off the platform to find something to wipe my hands on, my palms were sweating so badly I was scared I wouldn’t be able to climb. I found what I needed and stepped back into my area. I didn’t hear Papa come up behind me over the roar of the crowd but noticed him as he came around in front of me.   
“You look gorgeous, Bellissima. Have no fear, they will drink you with their eyes and savor you as I do.” He took my right hand gently and kissed the back of it. The second his lips touched my knuckles I got a chill through my body. He took his place on his platform and plugged his monitors into his ears. He didn’t even look at Angie.   
I was still staring at him, frozen with wonder, when a tech came up to me.   
“Hold on, you’re going up.”   
I climbed to the top of my pole and brought my legs up to hold on, dropping the top of my body down. The inverted position felt good and I was ready to wow these fuckers. The platform began to rise and when I emerged on the stage the crowd went wild. Cirice opened the show and I did every move perfectly. It was a rush being seen by all of those people.   
Every once in awhile Alpha would turn to me as he played. I refused to meet his eyes. Turning me down had shaken me to the core and I felt embarrassed now. During the break where Papa would talk he introduced Angie and then sauntered over to where I where I stood.   
“And this is Rayna.” The crowd screamed for me. He took my hand, lifted it above my head and had me twirl. Instead of just turning me once and having me face the assembly he turned me another 180 and I ended up with my back to them.  
“She is tasty, yes?” he said. He pantomimed slapping my ass and then licked the fingers of his white glove. Then he was off and the band broke into Mummy Dust. I didn’t know what to think of any of it.   
By the time Monstrance Clock began I was almost sad for the show to end. I pulled out my best moves. I finished up a fairy twirl and the guys were starting to leave the stage. I knew that was my cue to hold on and the pole began to descend down into the stage. I watched the crowd disappear and the exhilaration was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I was hooked.   
The tech was there to help me down from the platform and he handed me a towel. I patted sweat from my face and strolled down the hall with the guys. An uncontrollable smile was plastered to my face. Back in the dressing room I looked at myself in the mirror amid the buzz from everyone else, and felt invincible. I had the urge to go running laps down the arena hallways in my boots. The guys were high fiving and slapping each other on the back.   
Alpha approached me and embraced me in a bear hug. “That was fucking amazing. I got to see some of the moves and they loved you. You did great.”  
I pulled back beaming. “Thanks. You were amazing, it’s so different to see the show from the stage.”  
Looking into each other’s eyes we both felt it get awkward. I turned back to where my clothes were piled onto the chair and grabbed them, clutching them to my chest. “I’m gonna go change.”  
He gently took my arm to stop me, “Do you want me to join you?” he asked.   
I didn’t meet his gaze, just shook my head no.   
“Okay.” He let go of me and I went to the changing room alone.   
When I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror I was surprised my makeup had survived the show. My hair was damp from sweat but other than that, I looked okay. I changed back into my crop top and skirt and took my clothing out to the hall to hand off to wardrobe. The person who took them didn’t even seem to care that they were practically wet with perspiration.   
I took my bag from the counter when Alpha was distracted talking to Water and stood by the door for the time to reboard the bus.   
When it was finally time to go I didn’t realize how many people would still be outside waiting. I guess it should have occurred to me, I would have re-done my hair.   
I heard the fans scream the guys names and watched their faces as they got their objects signed. The feeling of straddling the line between fan and band was strange. I was about to board the bus when I heard someone yelling, “Hey! Hey stripper girl!”  
It was a teenage guy and a group of his friends.   
“Can we have a picture?” he called out. His group cheered when I noticed and began walking over to them.   
I leaned against the railing and smiled bright for the photo.   
“Thanks. You were hot out there,” he said grinning.   
“Yeah, how did you get so good at doing that pole stuff?” one of his female friends asked.   
“Lots and lots of practice,” I told her. We chatted for a few minutes about music and dancing. It was a blast. I wondered what David would think about what I was doing. I was possibly going to become known for pole dancing, this struck me as funny considering the work I had been doing in the lab and our recent breakthrough.   
I gave a couple more people my signature and then we each slowly began to wander back to the bus. Of course, Papa was the last one out there. Everyone wanted to see him. The second to last person was Angie. I watched them out there working the crowd. She seemed to approach people who weren’t even calling her over. Papa signed tons of things and women kissed him and ask him to write on their tits. It was quite a show.   
I went to my bunk to stow my bag and check the schedule for the next day. It was going to be a travel night. I figured I should get used to that. As the guys got back onto the bus they began what I came to call the endless shower line. One after the other they’d go in, shower, and come out. I stayed in the front of the bus because they didn’t have enough room to change in the bathroom they had to be naked in the bunk area. Angie kept coming up with excuses to slip back there.   
When Alpha was done and out she snuck in under the guise of grabbing a nail file. When she came back out her eyes were wide. She wasn’t in there very long so at least I had the comfort of knowing they didn’t hook up.  
Eventually everyone was done cleaning up and had mostly retired to their bunks. Only Omega and I were still in the living area. He was watching a show in swedish and there were no subtitles. I stretched when I heard Angie turn off the shower. It would finally be my turn to douse my tired muscles in hot water.   
I went on back to get my shower gear together but when she came out, wrapped only in a towel, she clicked her tongue at me. “Sorry, there’s no more hot water. I got the last of it and just stood there. Real dancers need time to unwind, you know.”   
Alpha’s bunk curtain was still open and it was obvious that she saw that but she just dropped her towel and started to put on skimpy underwear which she eventually covered with a long shirt. I couldn’t tell but I was pretty sure that Alpha didn’t react the way he had when he saw me getting into my dancing attire. It was something but it wasn’t enough to soften the blow of the rejection.  
She rubbed herself with lotion, making sure that the shirt pulled up enough to give him a view of her barely there underwear. He still didn’t stir. I put my hair up in a bun and got into the bunk beneath Alpha. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as he had described but I was sure it would wear on me over time. It was a small price to pay for the adventure I was getting to take part in.  
Angie eventually decided she was lubricated enough and lay down in her bunk below Water, sliding her curtain closed. I looked up at the bottom of the bunk where Alpha lay above me.  
“I’m sorry about earlier,” I said just above a whisper. There was no reply but I heard rustling and soon his legs appeared at the edge of his bunk and he dropped down to the floor, kneeling next to my bed. It seemed intimate and suffocating all at the same time.   
“You can’t even talk that loud in here. The curtains are made for light reduction but do nothing for the sound,” he whispered.   
I matched his barely audible tone, “I just said I’m sor…”  
He held up his hand to stop me. “I heard you, but really, you don’t have to apologize.”  
“I feel like I was too bold with you earlier. I’m not just some groupie and I wasn’t trying to use you to get to anyone. I just wanted you to know that.”  
He nodded. “I know. I didn’t turn you down because of that…” he cocked his head. “I have this… thing about cumming before shows. I feel like the show is better if I am a certain degree of horny. If I get rid of that energy beforehand it seems like the audience doesn’t get that frenetic feeling like we’re going to throw them down and fuck them.”  
I just looked at him trying to decide if I was being snowed.   
“I know it sounds odd but I have found that that is what works for me. Please, trust me,” he put his hand to his heart, “when I tell you that I would have loved nothing more than to fool around with you earlier but that’s how I work.”  
I nodded.  
“Friends?” he asked and he held out his arms for a hug.  
I leaned over and hugged him. His shoulders felt nice and his warm hands on my back gave me tingles. It had been too long since I’d had sex, even though I’d had a boyfriend, and my mind was exploding. He let go and patted the edge of the bed.   
“Now get some sleep. Don’t be like Omega, that guy is the definition of a night owl.”  
“Okay,” I said. “I’m just waiting for the hot water to replenish.”  
He stopped climbing up onto his bunk. “You don’t have to, we have a special heater that never goes cold. How do you think we all get showers one after the other. Go get your shower. Night.” He got into his bunk and shut the curtain.   
I looked over at Angie’s closed drape and I could have sworn I heard her snicker. Bitch.   
I went ahead and got my things together again. The bathroom was, by far, the tiniest I’d ever been in, I had to struggle to get my clothes off in there. Once I was in the shower stall I turned on the hot water and let it beat down on my muscles. All my tension was being washed away by the warmth but came flooding back when the door opened. I jumped and covered my tits, trying to see through the fogged shower door who had interrupted me. I kind of hoped it was Alpha. Whoever it was only had a towel wrapped around his waist. He lifted the lid of the toilet and began to pee.   
“Hello?” I asked in an irritated voice.   
“It is me, Bellissima. I needed to use the facilities and I couldn’t wait. It is bad for you and can affect sexual performance.”  
I furrowed my brow. “Thank you for the science lesson. I’m trying to wash, may I have a little privacy please?”  
“I also want to take a shower but I think I can assume you’d rather I wait until you are done. Unless…” He trailed off but I knew he was waiting for an answer. I stayed silent. “Okay, understood.”  
He flushed the toilet and shifted in the small space so that he was facing the shower. I could see through the fogged door that he touched his painted chin with one hand. “You are different, Bellissima. You are not trying to get anything from me like all of the others. Earlier the other dancer put her hand on my leg in the dressing room and insinuated that she’d like to swallow my “load”, as she put it.”  
Yep, that sounded like good, ol’ Angie. I didn’t have a response to what he was saying I just wanted him to get out and wondered why the Hell he felt the need to overshare with me.   
“I find her beautiful…” he said, carefully measuring his words.   
I didn’t have any type of relationship with him, physical or otherwise, in mind but it still smarted a tad to hear him talk about her with us being such different body types.   
“But she is crass. There are times when such talk is pleasant, even encouraged but such an offer is sometimes a little off putting.”  
I waited for him to make his point, my fingers and toes were beginning to prune.   
“What I’m trying to say is I know better than most that offers such as those can be frightening and misinterpreted as forceful or continued beyond what the receiver wanted so I ask you this, and it will have no bearing on how I see you or our working relationship. For you are free to say no…”  
I swallowed hard and waited for the official question.   
“Bellissima, would you like to see my manslem?”  
Not gonna lie, I totally did want to see it, if what he was saying was the meaning I was picking up. Then I wondered if I would be required to touch him. Also, not a bad thought but I wasn’t sure what kind of kinky stuff he was into and I wasn’t prepared to deal with that right then.   
“No, thanks.”  
“Are you sure, Bellissima? You are under no obligation to touch me.”  
He waited but I said nothing.  
“Okay.” He actually sounded disappointed.  
Honestly, it sounded like a dream. I thought back to when I had come in my bed watching him thrust with all of his clothes on and suddenly the shower wasn’t the only thing getting me wet. He began to open the door.   
“Papa…”  
“Yes, Bellissma?” There was a glimmer of hope in his voice.  
“Maybe another time?”  
“I hope so,” he said. Then the door closed and it was just me.  
The second I was alone it hit me like a ton of bricks. What the Hell had I done? I pushed him away just like Alpha had done to me. Shit. I was also smacked in the stomach with a heavy feeling of regret.  
In my bunk later I was concerned that I would have a hard time sleeping but the mixture of over an hour of exercise and the rocking of the tour bus put me out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayna and Papa meet in the night.

The next few days were travel days and the venues began to blur together. I felt really good about the performances I put in and people were starting to call me over sooner and sooner after the shows. It shocked the hell out of me when, one night, they began calling me by name.  
“Hey guys. Did you have fun?” I asked.  
The black haired girl and her boyfriend were both talking at the same time and I could barely understand them. They handed me on open magazine and asked me to sign it. I pulled my trusty Sharpie from my makeup kit (I had taken to carrying it after learning my lesson the second night) and looked down at the picture. It was me. I was upside down on the pole, surrounded by fog and blue lights. I looked graceful and pretty.  
“Wow, what magazine is this?” I bookmarked the page with the Sharpie and flipped it over to see the cover. It was in Swedish so I couldn’t tell the name. “That’s so cool.”  
I glanced back at their faces and they seemed a little perplexed.  
“Sorry, I’ve never been in a magazine before.” I went back to the glossy photo and signed an area where the fog was thick so the words could be seen. Looking at the page opposite I saw that Angie had already done the same with her photo.  
“Thanks so much, you guys. I’m glad you enjoyed the show,” I said handing the magazine back to them. I surveyed the scene around me as the couple went off to their car. The energy after a show was a lot to take in but so far it had all been uplifting.  
I thought I was done for the evening but on my way to the bus a gruff voice called out to me.  
“Hey Darlin’, can you come over here and take a picture with my friends?” It was a large, grey bearded man in jeans and a leather vest. He was surrounded by more of the same.  
I caught a case of nerves but went over to them and put on my smile.  
“Nice to meet you, I’m Griff.” He held out his hand and the warm handshake we shared dissipated any fear that I’d felt. “Whew, you sure are a cutie.”  
“Thank you,” I said blushing. There are some people who love nothing more than to hear how wonderful and attractive they are. I am not one of those people. It’s nice but it makes me uncomfortable.  
I leaned in so Griff could put his arm around me while one of his friends attempted to work his smart phone for the picture. His arm around my shoulder was nice protection from the chilly night air but I saw that Papa was watching us and looking quite unhappy. Finally, the man with the camera cracked the code and Griff got his shot.  
We shook hands again then I surveyed the thinning crowd. When I was sure everyone was happy I boarded the bus. This time I didn’t have to worry about taking a shower, we were headed to a hotel for our day off. The tour schedule was brutal and I would learn to savor the free days. I was on the couch with my feet in Alpha’s lap when we pulled into the parking garage beneath the hotel. He patted my legs and I stood up to stretch.  
The best thing about tour was that people took care of things for you. We never had to go to the desk to check in or carry our bags to our rooms, we could have food delivered any time of the day or night and I never had to do laundry. For a woman who’d spent the better part of the last two years taking care of and cleaning up after a man-child, it was bliss.  
We arrived in our suite and I let out an audible gasp. It was the kind of thing you saw in decor magazines. I would never stay in a place like this on the reg. The furniture was very fancy and the carpet was plush. The place was more like an apartment from the 1800’s or maybe you could describe it more like an old timey whorehouse.  
There were doors on either end of the main living area and a full kitchen. The only television in the whole place was in a small sitting room with double doors connected to one side of the living room. Luckily, the kitchen looked like it was from a more modern era. Papa went straight to the master and the rest of us split off to search for rooms to settle into. I found myself in the smallest room but it had its own bathroom complete with a claw tub and nice bubble bath provided. There were even candles along the vanity and matches to light them.  
I was so tempted to drop onto the bed but I had other needs to attend to. I stepped out of my room into the living area and then into the kitchen. For all the commotion that had been going on less than 10 minutes earlier it was dead now. When I rounded the wall separating the living room from the kitchen, I found Papa sitting at the large ornate dining room table eating dinner. I guess you could call it dinner, it was nearly one in the morning. He stopped chewing a looked up at me. After swallowing his food he spoke.  
“Welcome, Bellissima. There is food on the stove.”  
I took a china plate out of the cabinet and found a fork after trying several different drawers. I’ve never been one to order the salad when I really wanted a steak but I didn’t want to go to bed with too full a stomach so I put just a small amount of the chicken marsala on my plate. I sat down across from Papa and began to eat as he watched me.  
“You know, Bellissima, you are welcome to have more than that. I know the work you do requires a lot of energy.”  
I nodded as I chewed a bite. It was delicious. “Thanks. I know, I have a hard time sleeping when I’m too full.”  
“Mmm.” That was it then he went back to eating. I wasn’t sure what to think of him. He seemed kind one minute and the next he wanted to show me his dick and joked about watersports. For a second I debated bringing the topic up again but decided to leave it be. I was friends with Alpha and we hadn’t done anything else despite our talk but Papa seemed like the kind of guy you didn’t need to get tangled up with on the road.  
I was under no illusions that I was the only woman he’d propositioned. I had seen women coming out from the curtain of his area of the bus after shows with messed up hair and smiles on their faces. I worried that if I let him in, I’d be stuck on him and jealous of the others. He would never be a one woman man. I was also amazed that he’d even asked before just showing me his dick. I figured that he and Angie had to have done something by this point.  
Because of my small serving of food I was done before he was. He liked to take his time eating and I guessed he was the same way in the bedroom. I put my plate in the sink and went to where the food sat on the stove.  
“Are you going to get some more of this or should I put it in the fridge?”  
He looked at me like I had two heads, apparently he was surprised that I’d thought to take care of putting the food away. “No, thank you. The cook will portion it out and put it away.”  
“Okay, I’m not used to all of this being done for me. It’s nice, just different.”  
“Bellissima, you will get used to it. You deserve such fine treatment.”  
I hadn’t a clue what to say to this tenderness so I just said “Good night.” and left the kitchen. I found my suitcases by the door and dragged them into my room. My pajamas were calling but I just had to climb into that gorgeous tub.  
Resting in the water was very relaxing after using the cramped shower so many days in a row and I sunk low in the bubbles. The towels they’d provided were thick and warm. This was the life. After drying off and getting dressed I brushed my hair and moisturized my face.  
The bed was many times more comfortable than my bunk but I still couldn’t manage to fall asleep. I rolled back and forth, switching sides to find the right spot but just felt awake. Eventually, I gave up and slid down from the sheets. I opened my door and took a peek around the living area. It was quiet and I assumed everyone was asleep so I padded across the carpet. It felt even better than I thought it would on my bare feet.  
I slid back the doors to the television room, stepped in and pulled them together still facing the living room. The lights were off in the room but I saw that the TV was already on… to porn. My eyes adjusted to find Papa on the couch trying in vain to cover the fact that he’d been jerking off. He fumbled with the unfamiliar remote and he wasn’t able to change the station so he just shut the television off leaving the room in darkness.  
I jumped and opened the door again to leave quickly and never speak of it again. “Sorry,” I said.  
“Wait,” he called after me. “I did not mean to startle you. I could not sleep.”  
Now that he had a decorative couch pillow covering his crotch I could gather the nerve look at him in the faint light from the living room. “It’s fine. You know the old saying ‘Everyone does it.’”  
I stood there waiting for him to say good night but he never did.  
“Would you care to join me?” he asked into the darkness.  
I slid the door shut and latched it this time, knowing him he’d probably left it unlocked in the hopes that someone would happen upon him.  
“Again, you don’t have to touch me, or I you, if you do not wish to do so.” He turned the television back on to the same movie. The woman who was bent over the desk was curvy and had dark hair. Yes, she looked similar to me but also a million other women.  
He pulled the chain on the small lamp sitting atop the end table next to him, giving the room some dim light, and pushed the pillow off his lap, sinking farther down into the couch. I watched the scene for a minute and my nipples were starting to get hard. The man on the screen spit on his hand and rubbed his fingers along the woman’s ass.  
“Yeah, I want you to fuck me,” she moaned in that fake voice porn stars always use.  
When the guy touched the head of his dick to her asshole and began to push I slid my hand down my pajama bottoms and started to rub. From the corner of his eye Papa saw this and his hand moved just a little quicker on his cock. His black pants were open and I could see his dark hair and lower belly where his white, button up shirt was riding up.  
The camera showed a close up of the man moving in and out of the woman’s ass but I found myself more interested in Papa touching himself. Todd had never done that in front of me and I had always wanted to see it. Papa would run his fingers over the underside then swirl his palm around the head and then smooth his fist up and down over the whole thing. It was mesmerizing.  
Figuring it wasn’t fair to watch him but not return the show I took my bottoms off and pulled my shirt over my head. I leaned my head on the armrest of the couch and opened my legs so he could see what I was doing. He reached out with his free hand and ran his palm over my inner thigh. The jolt it sent into me was almost painful but I wanted him to touch me some more.  
His leather glove was warm on my skin and I took his hand, moving it up to my breast. He got the message and began touching me more, letting go of himself for a moment he placed both hands over my breasts and kissed my chest. I felt his hard dick on my thigh and thought about sliding down onto him but I wasn’t ready to be another notch on his belt and there was no way I’d fuck him without a condom.  
He moved lower and lower down my belly to my pelvis and I was practically panting by the time his lips touched my pussy. I watched him as I pinched my nipples and he brought his eyes up to look into mine. Those mismatched beacons held me and made the parts his mouth was touching even more perceptive.  
He brought his right hand from where it held my thigh and placed a finger at my entrance. He didn’t need lube or spit, I was already soaking wet for him. He slid the one finger in gradually and once that was slick he added another. When he pressed up on the front wall of my pussy I thought I would lose it. The warm, thick leather gloves made the sensation something I’d never felt before.  
I was bucking into his painted face and he placed his other hand on my belly to calm me. Once I’d settled back onto the couch he took his mouth off of me and used his teeth to remove his glove. He held his hand out to me, palm up.  
“Spit, Bellissima,” he ordered. I did as I was told and he disappeared the hand down to his cock. He was shaking as he touched himself. I ran my fingers over his hair to the back of his head and held on. He began bucking on his own now and I could tell by the way he moaned into me that he was cumming. The vibrations took me right to the edge and then he stopped.  
I wanted to yank his head back between my legs and force him to keep going. He sat up and grabbed the hand towel that had been sitting on the end table. I was breathing hard and wouldn’t leave that room without getting off. I reached down and started rubbing my clit.  
He dropped the towel and grabbed my hand away fast.  
“You’re not taking that pleasure from me,” he growled. He lowered himself toward my body again and I sighed as his warm, wet lips landed on me. He licked my clit slowly, gently, and I relaxed at his touch.  
The gradual pace never sped up but every long stroke of his tongue had me approaching my tipping point. One on particularly long drag of his tongue I froze, my body began to contract, and I came in his mouth. I shook for a few seconds and started to get up but he placed his hand on my chest. He had taken his mouth off of me but rubbed gentle circles over my hypersensitive clit. One exploring finger entered me, then another. He pushed firmly and pumped his fingers in and out of me fast.  
At first I was begging him to stop but then the oversensitivity turned to enjoyment once again and I found myself contracting around his fingers once more. When I’d ridden the sensation out he pulled his fingers from me and put them to his mouth. After that he got up and grabbed his towel again.  
“Sleep well, Bellissima,” he said and left me lying there on the couch.  
Once my head stopped spinning I got dressed and managed to turn the television to another channel before powering it off. I shuffled back to my room and collapsed into my bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tour celebrates Halloween.

Tour rolled on through October and there were no sideways glances or shared smiles, we were too focused on the grueling schedule. We had only 3 days off during the entire month so we all had our noses to the grindstone. I was exhausted and had been skipping meals some nights in exchange for the tiny bit of extra sleep. I was making up for them by having more protein shakes.   
On Halloween we piled out of the bus and entered the arena we’d be playing in that night. Papa seemed to be feeling frisky and I wasn’t surprised as his number of conquests had dropped dramatically. He was singing songs in the mirror in the dressing room and telling dirty jokes to every woman who came within 10 feet of him… except me.   
He eyed a couple of women from the opening band and even kissed the tech director’s hand as she blushed. She playfully hit him with her clip board and pointed him to where his mic was waiting. I stretched a bit as I waited on my lifting platform and watched her set up his monitors.   
As she tucked in into the back of his pants he joked “You should put that up here in the front,” he motioned to his crotch, “I think it would be more fun for the both of us.”   
She laughed. “Dirty old man.” She brought the earpiece up over his shoulder and patted it. “You’re plugged in. Break a leg.” He watched her walk off and caught me looking at him. He stepped down to approach my platform and took my shake from me.   
“Jesus Christ, Bellissima. Eat more instead of drinking those… things. You are losing the curve of that lovely behind.” He inspected me carefully. “I like to have something to hold onto.” He thrust his hips and pretended to be spanking someone from behind.   
I couldn’t help grinning and watched him dance back over to where he should be. I shook my head at him. The lights went out and it was time to put on a show.   
Our routine went as usual but at the chat break he went off his normal script. “Cheer for the ladies!” he yelled into the mic. The crowd roared. He went to Angie first.  
“Mmm, this one is nice. Turn,” he said standing next to Angie and holding his hands out like Vanna White. “Very nice indeed.”   
He swaggered over to where I stood. “This one is very sweet.”   
I curtseyed.   
“When I speak of the female orgasm I do it for these ladies.” He gestured at us. “And all of you,” he added pointing at the women in the front row. You could go deaf hearing that many ovaries explode at once.   
“Tell me my Dear,” he said approaching me. “What is your favorite way to enjoy the… little death.” He looked me dead in the eyes.  
My heart stopped. I didn’t know what to say as he put the mic up to my face. The persona I’d been honing to deal with the fans took over.   
“I like it any time, anywhere,” I said in my most buttery voice.  
“Oh my, Bellissima,” he said into the mic. “You don’t need to talk any more. You are making me feel… naughty.” He said the last word to a group of people at the front of the stage and patted the front of his pants. “Whew, now we can all…” he glanced at me again, “come together.”  
The band started Monstrance Clock and I saw that Angie was giving me a death glare. I went into my routine and finished the show strong, ignoring her. There you go Papa, try to throw me off, I’ll beat you at your own game.   
Back in the dressing room everyone was running high. We all laughed and joked, it felt like a family. Papa came into the room and quieted us all down.  
“As you all know, Halloween is my favorite time, and New York is my favorite city. We have been working very hard this month, more shows than I usually want to do. This is because we have tomorrow off,” he paused and we all cheered, “and tonight I have rented out Lanai!”   
The ghouls all lost it. Alpha turned to me.   
“Holy shit, you’re gonna love this place. They have the best food and karaoke and obviously drinks.”  
Papa finished his speech. “Get dressed everyone. Tonight, on my favorite night of the year… we drink!”  
The dressing room was a flurry of activity. Everyone rushed to get back to the bus and get the party started. The guys were acting like little kids, wrestling and cutting up. It was apparent that they’d had a good time at this place before. I was tired and kind of wished I could skip it. I knew I had to go though, so I downed some Emergcen-C and fixed my hair and makeup on the way. I was applying my last coat of mascara when Angie came through the curtain from the sitting area.   
“Oh my God, they are so loud!” she laughed into her phone. “I know. Please, girl all of them.”  
I knew it was shitty to eavesdrop but I had been there first. I placed all of my makeup back into the sparkly black bag and stowed it away in my bunk cubby while Angie continued to talk.  
“I don’t know karaoke or something… Yeah, at a bar. I think tonight is the night I get to take a ride with the big guy.” She laughed some more then caught me looking at her. She took the phone away from her ear.  
“What, like he’d be more interested in you? Please, sweetie.” She scoffed and put the phone back up to her ear. I squeezed past her and went back out to the front of the bus to sit on the couch.  
When the bus stopped in front of the bar I could see why the guys were so excited. It was two floors and a rooftop bar in an old brick building. Inside the first floor was the bar and main karaoke stage. The second floor had more booths and a couple of private pole dancing rooms. The rooftop bar was the best part because it gave a 360 view of the night time skyline. I had never been to New York City before and the sight took my breath away.   
At the first floor bar Papa had the bartender set us up a round of zombie shots. I hadn’t done shots since college a few years before and I was very glad I had taken the time to hydrate. Angie took hers then knocked her empty glass back down on the bar. Papa seemed to be pacing himself but Alpha and the other guys went for beers and they flowed freely.  
I had a couple of cocktails but I wasn’t drunk. I wasn’t sure I was close enough with everyone yet to be that goofy. Alpha tried a couple of times to get me to sing but I was still too straight for it. He got up and sang Elton John’s “Christmas Song” It was funny to see him let loose and strut around the stage. His voice wasn’t great but that's the fun of karaoke. When the song ended Papa yelled out “Get that Christmas shit out of here! This is Halloween. That shit still has another month before it’s acceptable.   
We all laughed and he started for the stage. I guess he’d had more than I realized because he slaughtered Them’s “Here Comes the Night”. He stumbled on a couple of the words but I could tell it was a song that he liked. He played to the women and did all of his funny, sexy stage moves. There was clapping as the stepped down off the stage.   
“I love Van Morrison,” I said to him as he sat down on a couch next to Angie opposite me and Alpha.   
“Don’t we all, Bellissima?” he said playfully.  
Angie wasn’t having that so she crossed her legs toward him and leaned into his ear. Omega was singing Cee-lo, apparently on 11, so I couldn’t hear anything she said but the conversation ended with her taking him by the hand and leading him up the stairs. My stomach twisted. All the feelings I had been trying so hard not to catch came flooding into my chest so I did what anyone would do, I drank some more.   
A few more people sang songs then everyone started to disperse from the stage area a bit. There was a pool table and some other bar games so they’d split off to check those out. It was just Alpha and I left on the couch.   
“Whew. I’m feeling the booze. Do you want to go upstairs and get some air?” he asked.  
I just nodded at him and let him help me up the old wooden staircase. I probably shouldn’t have worn my platforms. When we arrived at the second floor I saw that one of the pole dancing areas had the curtains closed and another had it pulled to but not totally shut. In the second I saw Angie dancing on the table with the pole through the middle. Papa sat on the couch in front of it watching her.   
“I need to go to the restroom,” I said to Alpha, letting go of his hand. I found the ladies room down a dark hall on the opposite side of the room from the dancing areas.   
I tried to get a grip, looking at myself in the mirror. My cheeks were red but my makeup and hair still looked nice. I chided myself for being jealous of them. For all I knew he’d already fucked her. That was the moment I decided there should be no more Papa for me. Our little encounter had been fun and quite satisfying but it was just a fluke. If there was a woman in the room, he was gonna try to fuck her. “Live with it,” I said to my reflection.   
When I came out of the restroom I stayed in the shadows of the hallway and snooped on the room where Angie and Emeritus were. She wasn’t on the pole anymore, she was in front of him on her knees, her head bobbing up and down. I watched him run his fingers through her bright red hair and pull her harder down on his dick. He was bucking his hips slightly and had his head resting on the back of the seat.   
His shoulders started to draw up and he let out a light moan. As he started to shake he lifted his head and looked out the curtain. Our eyes met, I hadn’t thought I was visible in the hall, and he gritted his teeth with open lips. He continued to pull her down on him and she was gripping his thighs. He never looked away from me and I felt jumpy watching this activity that wasn’t meant for me but I was unable to look away. When he’d settled down and Angie lifted her head I practically ran to Alpha and dragged him up the stairs.   
We emerged onto the roof in the cold October night. Almost immediately, Alpha removed his jacket and slipped it onto my shoulders.   
“Thanks,” I said to him. We walked to the edge and leaned against the banister. I couldn’t take in the view enough. It was a dream to be here but it was beginning to feel like Hell. I shivered and Alpha put his arm around me firmly, pulling me close beside me. It felt nice to be held. If Todd had been here he would have just pulled his coat tighter around him and made fun of me for not bringing a jacket.   
“I’m gonna need some strong coffee in the morning,” Alpha joked.   
“And a couple gallons of water,” I added with a snicker. He nodded.  
The speakers on the roof went quiet for a second and then “Beast of Burden” by the Rolling Stones came on.   
“I love this song,” I told him, laying my head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head lightly then pulled away. He paced to the middle of the roof and held his hand out to me.   
“Care to dance?”   
I smiled and embraced him. “I’ll do my best.”  
As the song played we swayed back and forth. He took my hand and twirled me, catching me as I nearly fell over. I enjoyed the feeling and breathed in the cool air, attempting to commit as much of it as possible to my memory.   
We were still swaying when he looked down into my face. That jolt I’d felt when our hands touched for the first time in the car returned. Luckily my shoes brought me much closer to his height and I was able to touch my lips to his. I had been resting my hand on his back and I slid it up to touch his neck. He shivered under my cold fingers but we didn’t pull away.   
He opened his mouth first and his warm tongue made my heart flutter. My breathing picked up and I thought I might have to take him down to one of the dance rooms. He seemed to have the same idea because he moved his hand from my waist to my ass and pulled me into him hard.   
Just as he went to slip his hand beneath my skirt we heard footsteps coming up the stairs. The strains of Elizabeth floated out into the night sky sung by a very drunken Emeritus. He stumbled up the last few stairs, his arm around Angie to keep his balance.   
“Pack it up, Alpha,” he called. “We’re having the champagne toast and then we are headed to the hotel. He nuzzled Angie’s neck. “I am tired for some reason now. Let’s go.”  
Asshole. He was staring at me, daring me with his eyes to say anything. Instead of addressing him I just turned back to Alpha and kissed him deeply once more. I turned back to Angie and Papa and sent his daring star right back at him.   
“Going back to the hotel? That actually sounds perfect,” I said.  
Alpha took my hand and we went around the other two, down the stairs to the first floor bar to wait for the toast. Poor Omega had partied a little too hard and once we’d all had a final glass of champagne, he had to be helped back to the bus. He was leaning on Alpha on the couch as we rode and kept telling him how much he loved him. Alpha just looked at me and rolled his eyes.   
“At least he’s never a mean drunk…” He shrugged.   
I got the feeling that the night wasn’t going to end the way I had hoped. Alpha accompanied Omega back to their room and I was right, he never came back. Angie and Papa had gone into his room when we’d reached our floor. I went to my room on my own and watched the sun come up over downtown Manhattan. It was beautiful but so lonely.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interesting surprise on a day off.

The next day we were off so I took the opportunity to sleep as late as I wanted. When I woke up I ordered a fruit and eggs and ate them in bed, watching Hocus Pocus, and doing absolutely nothing. It was heaven. A leisurely shower and then some afternoon shopping would round out the day. We’d gotten paid the night before so I decided to treat myself to dinner too. That was before I got a knock on my door.  
When I looked through the peephole I sighed; it was Angie. Great. Probably here to gloat. I slid the chain from it’s holder and opened the door. Getting a better look at her I realized that she was in last night’s clothes and she hadn’t showered or washed her face yet. Seeing her in disarray gave me a bit of sick pleasure.  
“Here,” she said shoving an envelope toward me. “It’s from the boss.”  
I took the letter and turned it over. There was a black wax seal stamped with his grucifix emblem.  
“What?”  
“After last night with me he probably realized that you don’t make the cut.”  
“Yeah, I’m sure waking up to you this morning was super pleasant,” I snapped.  
She opened her mouth but I shut the door in her face.  
“You’re just jealous, bitch,” I heard her say through the door. I listened a second longer and heard her heels clomp down the hallway to her own room.  
I did wonder if I was being let go. Surely there was some kind of HR that would take care of that. Unless he decided himself. Ugh. I pulled the seal apart and just took the plunge. At least that way I’d know whether to start packing.  
It wasn’t a pink slip at all. Instead I found a dinner invitation.  
“Dinner will be at 8 o’clock sharp at Zenkichi. We have reservations. Dress is to be formal.” There was a separate note. “If you need to purchase formal garments, do so and submit a reimbursement to finance.”  
My stomach settled knowing it was just a group dinner. Angie had given me a bit of a scare. I couldn’t wait to never see her again.  
I took my shower then went down to the hotel spa hoping they could get me in for a styling appointment if they weren’t too busy. Turns out they were by appointment only.  
“We don’t do walk-ins,” the woman said to me curling her lip in disgust.  
“I have money. You really don’t have anything available? I’m in room 1208.”  
This changed her tone. “Oh, you’re with that party.” She began typing furiously. “Let me get you over here and Sharry will be with you in just a moment.”  
I went from pariah to favored guest pretty damn quick. Honestly, it felt a bit satisfying to play the “‘Do you know who I am?’ card.”  
I got a trim, a gloss treatment, and had my long dark hair styled in 40’s waves. They even gave me a glass of champagne to sip. Once it was done they took me to the back and gave me a full face of gorgeous make up. Smokey eyes, a deep red lip, and just enough pink in my pale cheeks to make me glow.  
My next stop was to get a dress. We were in the swanky part of town so I didn’t have to look far. I knew right away what I wanted and got garters and stockings to go with it. Back in my room I felt like a goddess when I put it all on.  
I went downstairs at 7:45 and there was a black car waiting for me. I got in and after the driver shut the door he got into the front and pulled out into traffic. I wanted to ask why no one else was with me but I didn’t know how to work the partition. My mind began to race. Perhaps I was being let go it was just going to be in a public place. I didn’t have to wonder too long because we arrived with about five minutes to spare. The driver let me out and I entered the lavish restaurant.  
At the podium outside of the main dining room I gave the maitre’d my name and she led me through the diners to a sumptuously decorated room at the back at the restaurant. I was seated at a table for four people and given a glass of wine and one of water. I got to sit there for about 10 minutes sipping the wine and wondering just what the hell was going on.  
Finally the maitre’d entered the private room again. “Here you are, sir.”  
Papa stepped through the door after him and I nearly choked on my second glass of wine. He gave a nod to the woman and she left. He looked over at me and it was almost painful in my chest to meet his eyes.  
“Hello’” he said taking the seat across from me.  
“Good evening,” I said with a chill in my voice. “Who else will be joining us?” I asked him.  
As if on cue our waiter entered the room and cleared the other place settings, leaving the two of us with menus, and answering my question.  
Papa looked over his with an air of ease, as though we met for dinner every night.  
“I do hope you’ll order something substantial. In fact I think we should share the chef’s sampling menu.” He placed his menu gracefully back on the table and sat back in his chair. “You look stunning.”  
I just stared at him waiting for the hammer to drop. “Am I being let go?” I asked. I had tried to be cool but it just tumbled out of my mouth.  
He furrowed his brow. “Why would you even entertain such foolish notions, Bellissima? You have become vital to our shows and the fans love you.” He draped an arm over the back of his chair and regarded me with slight confusion.  
“I, uh, I don’t know. This afternoon when Angie gave me the letter she mentioned it and I was worried. I like this job.”  
He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together and gave the matter some thought. “She is not the kindest person, is she?”  
I shook my head and sipped my wine. The fact that I was not being fired emboldened me. “Why exactly are we here then?”  
It took him by surprise, my being so forward, and he leaned toward the table in his chair. “I take the members of the band out to dinner sometimes, just to get a feel for how they are doing. I want to take the pulse of our group and make sure there is nothing bothering anyone. How have you been enjoying traveling with the production so far?”  
“I like it. This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”  
He seemed a bit disappointed. “One of, huh?”  
“Well, I work for Rest-or, the company who reanimates dead bodies and we’d made a very significant breakthrough before I got this position. I feel that my work there is just as exciting.”  
“That is important. How have you been getting along with everyone?” he asked.  
I pondered this question and didn’t want him to think I was jealous of Angie. “I like everyone just fine. The people who aren’t as friendly?” I shrugged. “I just ignore them except for work purposes.”  
“You seem to have made friends with Alpha.”  
“Yes, he was the one who escorted me to the bus the first day and he’s really nice.”  
“Do you not have a boyfriend at home?” he asked.  
I bristled at the question and that made his eyes glimmer.  
“I did but…” another sip of wine, “it wasn’t going well before everything else happened and I was breaking up with him anyway. We haven’t even spoken since I’ve been on the road.”  
Emeritus nodded. “Is your relationship with Alpha… sexual?”  
That felt like a strange question and a bit of the yuckiness I’d felt watching her blow him last night bubbled to the surface.  
“Why does that matter?” I asked. “Your relationship with nearly everyone you meet is sexual. You took a dive between my knees if, if you remember correctly.”  
He was surprised by my mini outburst. I was a bit taken aback myself but tried to cover that by lifting an eyebrow at him and holding my wine glass steady.  
“I just want to be sure there will be no problems with… jealousy. I don’t like such things when we are working so hard. It strains the band and pulls people apart.”  
“Jealousy from me?” I leaned closer to him across the thin table. “Or jealousy from you?”  
He laughed at this and I felt stupid. “I know you saw me last night.”  
“So?”  
“So, I also know that you do not like this woman, and considering the fact that I “took a dive between your knees” as you so crassly put it, I thought you might have been… troubled by that.”  
I grinned. “Who you have go down on you is your deal. I’m not one of those groupies who gets hung up on you. You might think that everyone you touch falls in love with you but, in my case, it’s just not true. Sorry.”  
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Good.” he folded his hands in front of him on the table. “Now that that is out of the way… let us talk food.”  
He ordered for us both and we chatted some more about what I did for work. He told me about all the places he and the band had traveled and about his home in Sweden. It was actually a nice conversation without all his pointed line of questioning. He even joked around a bit.  
The food was amazing. He had ordered the Late Autumn Omakase menu which was made up of eight courses and as they came, one by one, we savoured the tastes and smells. Between the fourth course and the fifth he sat still for almost an uncomfortable amount of time just gazing at me.  
“Are you too full? I told you, that never feels good,” I joked. After it went on a bit longer, I began to feel uneasy. “What?”  
He shook his head. “You really do look just unbelievable tonight, Bellissima.”  
“Thank you.” I couldn’t help it, I blushed hard. “This dress is my favorite color,” I told him looking down to admire it. I hadn’t realized how low cut the cleavage was. I had gotten it thinking we were all going to be dining together and that it wouldn’t be a big deal.  
“Turquoise, yes, it looks wonderful against your black hair. That old fashioned glamor suits you.”  
“You look really nice as well.”  
He did look very handsome. He was wearing a tailcoat similar to his stage costume but without the grucifix and he wore a black vest beneath it. I noticed that, once again, he was wearing his leather gloves instead of the usual white ones. I shifted in my seat when I thought about those gloves.  
He caught me looking at his hands and smiled. “You are a fan of the gloves, aren’t you?” he asked.  
The pink in my cheeks turned to red and I felt like the room rose ten degrees.  
“It was nice, I’ll admit.”  
He stood up and came around the table to the chair beside me.  
“I have never used these on another woman.” He placed his hand on my stocking covered knee.  
“Well, good to know you use new ones each time,” I said. It was an attempt to calm my breathing but he gave me a stern look.  
“Just so you are aware, those… services are available to you at any time.”  
I was losing it. My heart was thumping hard in my chest and my lungs couldn’t seem to get enough air. His mouth was right next to my ear, so close I could feel his breath. He slid his hand up my thigh and paused when he saw that I was wearing garters.  
“Oh, Bellissima. You are not such a sweet girl after all, are you? You are a bad one in sheep’s clothing.” He continued up my thigh, past the top of my stockings and landed his hand my wet panties. He began to stroke up and down slowly. We both jumped and he returned to his seat when we heard footsteps.  
The waiter came in with our new tray and began positioning everything on the table. I was surprised that he couldn’t smell what we’d been up to. We watched in silence and each let out a relieved laugh once he was gone.  
We ate some more and I settled down a bit but I was still aching down below. The dessert course came but I still hadn’t. He seemed to be on his best behavior now and I was disappointed. When the waiter came to clear up the last of our food, asking politely if we wanted anything else, Papa said no and dismissed him. I hoped that meant that we’d have a few minutes alone but Emeritus stood up and reached out to take my hand.  
“Shall we?”  
Ugh, if we had to. I followed him out of the restaurant as people stared. They were talking and a couple tried to catch pictures but we were moving too swiftly for them to have been in focus. Out at the curb one of his black cars waited for us, the driver already having opened the door and we were off.  
The ride back was short but painfully quiet. He looked out the window while I looked at him. I imagined grabbing his hand and forcing it beneath my dress but before I could gather the nerve we were already back at our hotel.  
He walked me to the elevators and held out a hand to let me on first. This perfect gentleman crap was infuriating. We walked slowly down our hall and I stopped in front of my door.  
“This was a fun evening. Much less boring than when I have dinner with the band. We have to do it again some time.”  
I had unlocked my door and stood there with it wide open hoping that he would get the hint and just come in.  
“Goodnight, Bellissima.” He kissed my hand, gave me a nod, and took off in the direction of his room.  
I was left feeling confused and horny as hell. Inside my room I took off my dress but left my garters on. I hopped on the bed and opened my laptop. There were so many videos of him that I could watch them all night but there was one that I knew would do the trick. It was an acoustic version of Jigolo Har Megiddo where his voice was so smooth it would make you melt. The lyrics helped too. It also was not a drawback that they zoomed in on Alpha’s hands a few times. I slid beneath the covers and got to work. Seconds before I was finally going to come, there was knock at the door.  
“You have got to be kidding!” I said to the empty room. I got out of the bed in only the garter belt and stockings, my underwear was abandoned as soon as I had shut the door, and threw on the plush white robe hanging on the back of my bathroom door.  
I didn’t even look through the viewer but I threw the door open, my exasperation running high. It came down a bit when I found Alpha on my doorstep.  
“Hi,” I said.  
“Hey,” he greeted me. He didn’t make a move to come in. “Where were you earlier? I was going to see if you wanted to have dinner with me.”  
“I was having dinner with Emeritus.”  
Alpha seemed surprised to hear this. “Really? Why?”  
“He said he takes each of you to dinner sometimes to make sure you’re on the level, pardon the pun.”  
“I’ve never done that.” He said with a shrug. “Okay, I just wanted to make sure that you were safe.”  
“Do you want to come in?” I asked. I’d missed my chance with Papa but I wasn’t letting this one go.  
“We have a four o’clock bus time and it’s nearly midnight, I really need to get some rest after being up with Omega all night. That’s guy’s a handful.”  
“Okay,” I said leaning the side of my head against the door. “Get some good sleep.”  
“You too, night.”  
I shut the door feeling even worse. What the fuck was up with these guys that one second they were all over you and then they had to sleep? I found it strange, too, that Alpha said he’d never been to dinner with Emeritus alone. Did that make it a date? I went back to the bed and finished the job I had started earlier.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the "date".

I got some good sleep but the morning still felt like it came too soon. I double checked that I had everything I needed out of my room and went out into the hallway, leaving my key on the dresser. As I got out into the hall I noticed someone else coming out of their door from the corner of my eye. When I realized it was Papa I started toward him to tell him thank you for the night before, and possibly to ask why he’d lied to me about taking the other band members out, too.   
I stopped dead in my tracks when Angie came out of his room behind him. They both had the things they’d be carrying on the bus with them. I turned on my heel and went for the elevators. I pressed the button too hard in my haste and chanted “Hurry up!” in my mind while I waited. The doors opened too slowly for me to make a clean getaway and they boarded with me. At the last minute a hand stopped the doors from shutting and Alpha came in too.  
I was grateful that he had appeared. Papa and Angie stood on one side and Alpha and I on the other side of the elevator car. Alpha put his hand at the small of my back and leaned in close to talk to me.   
“Good morning, did you sleep well?”  
“Yeah, thanks, and thanks again for stopping by after I got in. That was sweet of you.” Angie and Papa weren’t touching or speaking so I assumed they were listening. I whispered but in the small space I knew they could still hear everything we said.   
“Of course. I just wanted to make sure you got back safe,” he said. He straightened up and the doors opened, letting us out into the lobby. Papa let Angie go ahead of him onto the bus but didn’t help her up. He then stomped up the stairs and disappeared into the back. Alpha helped me up the steps then followed me. I went to my bunk and shut everything out. The long ride would be good for catching some more sleep.  
The next few weeks were interesting. It seemed that Papa had had enough of my flirtation with Alpha and did everything in his power to avoid us being alone together. From band meetings at strange hours when there was nothing else to do, to calling rehearsals for Angie and I when we had free time. It seemed like it came from other parts of the organization but I knew who was really behind it all.   
We had several days off around Christmas and it coincided with a stop in Denver. I was looking forward to the rest and playing in the snow but we had our biggest show yet to perform first.   
I was really amped up before we went on. I hadn’t had any time to be alone with Alpha and Emeritus had been keeping his distance. Alpha had been right though, about shows being better when you were horny. It did seem to give them an electric current that ran between you and the crowd. Occasionally Angie or I would go off book with the dancing and I was in the mood to make it particularly sexy that night.   
I did the splits on my platform as a last warm up and Papa definitely noticed as he went by to take his spot. I acted like I didn’t notice but I really wanted to slap him for being so overt in his admiration yet leaving me in the lurch physically. He wasn’t joking around with the female sound tech at this venue even though she was gorgeous. With the dry spell I’d been going through, I wouldn’t have kicked her out of bed.   
Out on the stage I felt static in the air. Alpha played particularly hard that night and Papa was dirtier than ever. Apparently we’d all brought it to the stage. During Square Hammer I did more floor work than I did in my ordinary routine. Lots of splits on my back and crawling on the floor. Once or twice I swore Emeritus gave me the eye but I couldn’t tell if it was telling me to get back to the show or because he liked it. He didn’t pull anything extra when he introduced us and the show ended strong. It was a marvelous rush to be cheered on by so many people.   
After the show we all seemed kind of drained. There were the usual high fives and hugs and run downs of what happened but we all packed pretty quickly to head back to the bus. Because the crowd at the venue had been larger than before, the crowd waiting to talk to us was larger as well.   
It seemed like it was taking forever to get through them all but they were dedicated enough to stick around and wait for something as small as a photo or an autograph so we all gave them our full attention. As the crowd thinned down, I noticed a tall guy with brown hair hanging back a little. I continued to talk with the fans but kept my eye on the guy. When Omega and Water sent a gaggle of girls on their way he approached them for autographs.   
I finished with the two women I was talking to and went over to where they stood together. He was talking to them and handed me his phone.   
“Hi, would you mind to take a picture of us?”  
“Sure,” I stood back and framed them all in the display. They all held up the metal sign. When I got a good picture I stepped forward and handed the phone back. He took it, smiling at me, and handed it to Alpha.   
“Would you mind taking a picture of Rayna and me?”  
I was surprised that he knew my name but I stood by the railing and smiled.  
“Can I put my arm around you?” he asked.   
He was so cute, maybe a couple years younger than me but with a dark five o’clock shadow. It felt nice to have someone touch me, no matter how innocuous it was.   
“Sure, thank you for asking,” I said. When he put his arm around me he held it up and tried not to put any pressure on me. I grabbed his hand and moved close to him putting my arm around his waist, tugging him in close. When Alpha handed the camera back to him I asked to see it. He showed me the screen. We were both smiling brightly but his cheeks were pink.  
“Cute, what’s your name?”   
“I’m Josh.” He held out his hand and we shook. “I drove from Idaho Springs, almost 3 hours, to see the show.”  
“Wow, you’re dedicated. Have you seen Ghost before?”  
“No, I wanted to but I had to work the last time they came through.”  
We talked a while longer and more and more people were leaving. Papa came over to see what we were doing and I thought Josh’s head would explode. They shook hands and got a picture. Josh said goodbye to Papa and with him being the last one at the barricade Papa headed to the bus. I took the time to continue talking with Josh. He was nice and handsome and I was really enjoying his company.   
“Do you want to come on the bus for a minute?” I asked him.   
Papa appeared out of nowhere. “We are about to leave and we’re not having guests on the bus tonight. I am glad you enjoyed the show, be safe getting home.”   
Josh gave me a little wave before sticking his hands in his pockets and shuffling off through the parking lot. I went back to the bus and when I got on I went straight to Emeritus as he stood in the living area.   
“You bring people on the bus all the time,” I snapped at him. He took me firmly by the arm and dragged me to the very back of the bus behind his curtain.   
“You do not address me like that in front of my people,” he growled.   
“So, they are your people? Well, what does that make me?”  
“You’re an independent contractor who happens to be on the tour with the band. You are not allowed to invite people on the bus.” He crossed his arms and it seemed that that was it. I took a moment to look around his quarters. There were books piled up, his sheets were black, and the bed was made. It was about how I imagined it would look but without the handcuffs on the headboard and mirror on the ceiling. I just walked out, I wasn’t going to fight with him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little Christmas cabin action.

It was a short ride to the cabin we were staying in for Christmas. It looked like something out of a magazine. As we got out it had even begun to snow. The inside of the house looked like a dream. The furniture was all rustic style and it was beautifully decorated for Christmas. There was even a tree set up with all the trimmings in the corner next to a fireplace with a roaring fire.   
The bus guys brought our luggage up and placed it by the front door as always. I took my two bags up the stairs to see what other wonders awaited me. I found a single room with its own bath and put my things in there. I knew from the wonderful smell permeating the house that dinner was available in the kitchen so I went down to grab some.  
I found roast chicken and root vegetables on the stove and made myself a plate as Alpha and Omega came in chatting and laughing. They each got food as well and we sat at the carved wood table.   
“This place is nice, huh?” Omega said with a mouth full of food.   
I nodded.   
“Very cozy,” Alpha added. “I love this time of year.”  
We finished up and I went to take a bath. There was a window above the bathtub where I could look out over the mountains and the snow covered trees as I soaked. It felt good to wash away some of the stress of constant touring. I got into my pajamas and went back downstairs. Once again we didn’t have TVs in our rooms but there was one in a common area. It seemed quiet but I had assumed that the last time I went to watch television on a sleepless night.   
It was all silent now and I sat on the couch, wrapping up in the plaid cashmere blanket draped over the back. It was warm and relaxing. I didn’t even turn the television on, I just let myself get lost in the lights of the tree. My mind began to wander to home. Well, I guess I didn’t even have a home anymore but I wondered if Todd missed me.  
I opened my eyes to find a figure sitting beside me on the couch. In the faint light I could make out the black and white face as my eyes began to adjust. I guess I had fallen asleep in the warm light of the Christmas tree.   
“Bellissima, you should get up and go to bed,” he said to me tenderly.  
I stretched. “Mm, so you can turn on your movies and do your thing? Yeah, sure let me get out of your hair.” I bundled up in the blanket and stood up moving to the back of the couch.  
“I know that you are mad at me for earlier. I am sorry if I was discourteous with you. We really were leaving and I didn’t want the poor guy to get stuck up here in the mountains with no way to get home. It wouldn’t have been fair to him.”  
“You just couldn’t deal with me having something… or someone,” I corrected him.   
He pinched his nose between his fingers. “We were leaving,” he repeated.   
“Whatever. Why are you even down here? Did Angie turn into a bat and fly away to search for blood in the night so you were forced to come down here and jerk it?”   
He seemed a bit hurt at that one. He stood up and came around the back of the couch to where I stood. He approached me slowly, reaching out to part the blanket and slip his hands around my waist.   
“I am… sorry,” he said in a gruff voice. “Can you forgive me?” He pressed his lips to mine and I wanted to fight but it felt so nice. I had been missing him a lot despite all the ways he pissed me off.   
“It is beautiful tonight, the moon is full, and your face is glowing in the lights from the tree.”  
Oh, that damn charm. I put my arms around him, blanket and all, and kissed him. I let my guard down and just opened up to him, trusting him despite all of my instincts. He held me tight and stroked the back of his fingers over my cheek. In one fell swoop, he had bent his knees, wrapped his arms around my hips to pick me up, and began to carry me up the stairs. He went past all the other bedrooms to the last door on the left side of the hallway.   
He put me down just inside the door and pushed it closed with his foot. He kissed me again and began peeling off his jacket. He was still in tour clothes which kind of grossed me out but he remedied that by taking my hand and dragging me into his bathroom. There was a stool to sit on by the vanity and I took it.   
He continued to undress as I watched and enjoyed the show. He was already half hard as he turned on the hot water in the glass-enclosed shower and stood beneath the water. He washed his hair, rinsed it, then soaped his body. Once he was all clean he began to touch himself. He wiped the fog away from the shower door so I could see him better and took his dick in his hand. He was fully hard now and I was really liking what I saw.   
I got up off the stool, leaving the blanket there. I undressed as I watched him and began running my hands over my body too. Apparently, that did it for him because he shut off the water and grabbed his towel, drying bits and pieces of himself as he groped for me. I followed him into his room. I’d thought my bed was soft and comfortable but his was divine.   
He pulled the blankets back and we got in, covering up to keep out the chill. The full moon shone through the window giving the dark room a faint radiance. He kissed my neck and by chest. He sucked and bit at my nipples as I reached down between us and ran my fingers over his cock.   
He brought his hand down between my legs and pushed two fingers into me gently. He wasn’t wearing his gloves and it felt really good to have his skin touching mine. I put my other hand on his ass and tried to maneuver his hips toward me, tried to feel him at my pussy, and replace his fingers. He pulled his hips back, his muffled voice coming up from my chest.   
“I do not have a condom, Bellissima, I can not have sex with you tonight.”   
I felt crushed but tried to be reasonable. I really shouldn’t want to fuck him without a condom with his record but I was dying to feel him inside of me. He moved to my side and continued to bring his fingers in and out of me, his slick palm rubbing my clit just right.   
I reached down again and stroked his cock as he rubbed against my stomach. I could tell he was getting close but I had to slow down, distracted by the feelings in my own body. The friction between my walls and his hand became unbearable in the best way and I came, contracting around his fingers. When I could focus again I concentrated on getting him off, raising my hand to my mouth for wetness and sliding it over the head of his dick.   
He began moving his hips in time with my strokes and then he let go on my belly. His eyes were closed and his mouth wide open, dragging breath in and out. I kept a firm hold on him until he pulled his fingers from me and moved my hand away. My stomach was slick from cum and I was careful, as I climbed off the bed, not to let any drip below my waist.   
In the bathroom it was my turn to shower and he let me do so without coming in. I had really enjoyed the show and the release was a long time coming. I was only sad that he hadn’t worked his magic and used those fingers on me a second time. I toweled off and redressed, wrapping the blanket around myself again. When I got back to the bedroom I found him asleep beneath the comforter and felt a little used. Instead of looking at it that way I patted myself on the back for wearing him out. I tiptoed to my own room, got beneath the huge, white down comforter, and slept until nearly noon the next day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas, snowball fights, and the end of the road.

The sight I found when I came down the stairs made my chest feel warm. There was a dining room full of unmasked ghouls eating waffles and telling jokes and stories. I grabbed a plate and joined them. We laughed and ate and it felt like a family at a Christmas Eve breakfast. I sat across the table from Alpha and he kept touching my feet with his. Whether he meant to or not I wasn’t sure at first but his sly, blue-eyed smile after one incident said he was doing it on purpose.   
When we were done we donned our snow gear. I found mine on my bed after our meal, another perk of tour life, you would get surprise presents along the way, and went out into the yard to fool around. There were snowmen, made anatomically correct by Omega and Water as they giggled, and snowball fights. Even Angie came outside, though I could tell it wasn’t her natural habitat and she wasn’t exactly comfortable out there.   
Papa watched us all play like children from the porch with a cup of tea. We hadn’t spoken that morning but the general feeling was one of ease. I packed a snowball and took aim at him.   
“Hey, Emeritus!” I called then hurled the cold projectile at him. When it smacked him in the chest he looked up at me open mouthed and at first, I thought I was in trouble but he dropped his cup and saucer and bolted from the porch, out into the snow to chase me. I screamed and ran but he quickly overcame me in the dense snow. He knocked me over and landed on top of me.   
“How dare you?” he joked and rubbed a handful of snow on the top of my hat. He eased off of me a bit and I was able to get up and run again. He packed a handful of snow and launched it my way, hitting me in the back lightly. I ran behind the tall snowman the guys had built and he mirrored my moves every time I tried to go left or right.   
I picked up some snow and readied it for an attack. When I popped out from behind the large sculpture I hurled the ball hard at him. He was at least ten feet away from me and I wanted to chance to hit him with it.   
Since I had been behind the snowman I wasn’t looking when Angie picked her way through the crunching snow and since she was much closer it hit her with more power than intended when it belted her in the right side of the face. She screamed and my hands flew up to cover my open mouth. We all ran up to her and she looked right at me with death in her eyes.   
“You fucking bitch! You did that on purpose!” she yelled.   
“I didn’t, I swear! I meant to hit Papa and you walked into the middle of it. I’m so sorry.”  
“Oh, so it’s my fault you hit me?” she continued. The side of her face was red but it hadn’t broken the skin. It would probably leave a bruise but it would most likely be healed before the next show.   
“She did not mean to hit you, Angela. I can attest to her truthfulness in telling you that we were playing around. She did not see you,” Papa said.  
“Now you’re taking her side,” she snapped at him. She began to stalk her way up to the house, still ranting. “I don’t know why you always defend her!”  
Water followed her inside and the rest of the guys went back to their shenanigans. I approached Papa, curious.  
“What does she mean that you defend me?” I asked.   
He rolled his eyes. “It is nothing, Bellissima. She is angry and embarrassed.” He tried to brush it off with the wave of his hand.  
“No, tell me what you have to defend me from,” I demanded.  
He sighed. “When we are alone together she has the unfortunate habit of telling me that I shouldn’t have picked you.”  
My chest ached and I had a creeping feeling of glee that she had happened along at that moment. I wouldn’t ever intentionally hurt anyone but I couldn’t feel bad over a happy accident.   
“Why did you pick me?” I asked.   
He was silent.  
“Why did you take me out to dinner? Alpha said you’ve never taken the other band members out alone.”   
He didn’t answer me, just stared out at the snow covered trees surrounding the house. After a full minute of waiting, I went inside too and hid in my room until dinner time. I trudged down the stairs around 7:30 (we got into a schedule of eating late so this felt early for us.) and went into the kitchen.  
The guys were there again and they’d gotten their plates. Two of our group were conspicuously missing. I ate without tasting anything and I’d sat at the opposite end of the table from Alpha on purpose. I wasn’t in the mood for flirting that evening. When I was done I put my plate and fork in the sink and went back up to my room to read a book on my phone.   
As soon as I had reached the top of the stairs I heard yelling coming from Angie’s room.   
“Get rid of her!” she shrieked. “How hard are you for her that you won’t just ditch that little cunt?”   
When he answered her his voice wasn’t so much a yell as it was firmly loud but it was high enough that I could hear him clearly through the door. I was at a standstill in the hall now.  
“I told you that I would not put up with you calling her names. For the last god damned time, it was an accident.” I heard footsteps coming toward the hall and I ran to my door. I’m sure he heard me as he came out of her bedroom. His footsteps pounded down the way and he slammed his door so hard the floor shook.   
I heard things being thrown around his room and he yelled to himself.  
“This is why I didn’t want women on the fucking tour!”   
There was one more loud crash and then silence so pure it made my ears ring. I wanted to go check on him but I couldn’t make myself open the door. I hid in my bed and read the same passages of my book over and over, unable to concentrate enough to retain them, until I fell asleep with my phone in my hand. 

The next morning was Christmas. I got up, got a hot bath, and went downstairs to get a cup of hot chocolate. I had gotten the guys each something small as a gift so I brought those down with me and put them under the tree. It was a pleasant surprise to see that there were already many presents waiting and some of them were for me.   
In the kitchen Water, Omega, and Angie were already up chatting in the kitchen. Her happy demeanor was dampened by my arrival but I tried to keep it light.   
“Merry Christmas!” I said to all of them. Water and Omega said it to back to me but Angie just rolled her eyes and took her coffee to the living room.   
I shrugged at them and put on some water to boil. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any cocoa but I did find some lemon ginger tea to warm me up. I was letting the bag steep when Papa came into the room.  
He seemed to be in a particularly good mood and he was in black long johns with matching socks.  
“Good morning, my family,” he said holding his arms wide. “I fucking love Christmas.” He gave Water and Omega each a hug then he embraced me. He planted a kiss on my cheek and moved to use the rest of the hot water in his own teacup.  
I went upstairs to wake Alpha so we could open presents. He was so cute when he slept and when he woke he picked his head up from the pillow and his hair was sticking up in the back.   
“C’mon, we want to open gifts,” I said, then I left him rubbing his eyes.  
Back down in the living room, we all piled onto the sofas near the tree. The excitement was killing me and I felt like a kid again. Alpha finally dragged himself down the stairs and we took to opening our presents.   
I had gotten Alpha a leather-bound notebook with an engraved pen attached to it. He was always losing pens and I’d find them in the strangest places so I felt like it was perfect for him. For Papa, I bought an antique pocket watch. It hadn’t been expensive but it seemed made for him with an engraving of the devil on the front and it still worked despite its age.   
When it came time to open my own pile of gifts, I tore into it. There was bath stuff and a book about science. Then came Papa’s present. It was a small box wrapped in gold paper. Inside was a silver bracelet with each of the ghouls’ signs and a large grucifix to represent him. I look up at him and he nodded at me, smiling at the awe in my eyes. I got off the couch and went to the high backed chair he sat in.   
“Would you put it on me?” I asked holding it out to him. He took the bracelet in gentle hands and connected the clasp at my wrist.   
“Beautiful,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at the jewelry. I returned to my seat to watch everyone else enjoy the morning.   
We all spent the day inside because it was snowing pretty heavily. The guys hooked up a gaming system and I curled up on one end of the bouncing couch, reading while they played. Papa sat in his chair, reading his own book, and glanced up every once in awhile, pleased that everything was peaceful. The lone holdout on happiness was Angie, who sat playing on her tablet with a face that looked like she had bitten into a lemon.  
That evening we shared a traditional Christmas meal of ham and all the trimmings. It was so nice. After I was done eating I left the table and went up to my room to call Carline.   
“Oh, my God, Merry Christmas!” she answered.   
She caught me up on what she and her husband and kids had been doing and I told her all about my adventures. Well, not ALL about them but everything I thought she’d want to know. When she asked about Todd I told her that it was over and I felt like a shitty friend for not calling her more often. I wished her a Merry Christmas then hung up the phone. I gazed out my window at my winter view and wondered what I had done to end up so lucky.  
That evening I joined everyone (except Angie) in the living room as we watched Christmas movies and passed popcorn around. We’d be leaving the next day, as long as it quit snowing, and I wanted to savour the atmosphere. I was wrapped up on the end of the couch, wedged between Alpha and the arm and I was feeling very cozy.   
In the middle of Scrooged, Papa closed his book and stood up. He told everyone goodnight and stopped at the end of the couch to whisper in my ear.   
“Santa was good to me this year, Bellissima. He gave me the kind of stocking stuffers that I like. If you are so inclined, please join me about midnight and I will give you the other present I have for you.” He kissed my cheek and went upstairs.   
I blushed so hard I felt like I’d set the blanket on fire. Alpha looked over at me quizzically and I just shook my head as though it were nothing. Scrooged seemed to take forever to end and it was only a little after eleven when we shut the TV off and all filed up the stairs.   
I had taken a long bath earlier in the day but I made sure to shave my legs and armpits. It sounded silly but I just wanted everything to be perfect. I knew that I was just one in a long stream of women for Papa but I was eager to be with him.   
Once I felt ready physically I tried to read until midnight to keep my mind occupied. As my phone read 12:00 the butterflies intensified. It took me several minutes to work up the courage to go down the hall and knock on his door   
“Come in,” he called.  
Thoughts raced through my brain. I imagined him naked on his back on the bed and I could just climb on top of his body and slide down on him. I hadn’t worn underwear with my garters and the dress I’d worn on our “date” and I hoped he liked it.   
I pushed the door open and what I found was nowhere near what I had conjured up in my mind. He was on his back and he was, indeed, naked but Angie straddled his lap and was grinding against him furiously.   
“I thought you might have changed your mind,” he said breathing heavily. “This space is free.” He pointed to his face.   
Angie didn’t quit fucking him reverse cowgirl. If anything she seemed like she was trying to put on more of a show. The look on her face tested my restraint but I managed to quietly close the door.   
Back in my room I calmly removed my dress, stockings, and garter belt. I placed them nicely on the chair in my room. I planned to leave them there and vowed never to think of them again.   
The next morning the weather was clear so we all loaded up on the bus and began our trek to the next town. I said nothing to anyone and stayed in my bunk except to go to the bathroom. I didn’t even eat. I tried my best at the show the day after that but I wasn’t feeling it anymore. He gave us the regular introduction and I plastered a smile on my face for the crowd but I couldn’t even look at him. Asshole.   
After a week had passed I hadn’t spoken to him directly even once. Alpha noticed my change in moods but I brushed it off, telling him I always had the post-Christmas blues. New Year’s Eve we were free and we were back in New York. There was no visit to Papa’s favorite bar but we all went down to the dining room of our hotel to have dinner in a private room.  
The drinks were flowing freely and bottle after bottle was brought to the table. I had one glass of white wine but no stomach for it so I nursed it all night. Papa had several red drinks with a lime on the side but he never acted drunk so I guessed it was just juice. He was quiet through the meal.  
The large flat screen TV in the room was tuned to the ball drop and we all counted down to the new year. Everyone cheered and clinked their glasses together. I sipped the champagne someone had handed me for the toast but it felt flat and tasted bitter. A hand landed on my lower back and Papa came around to my front. Without warning, he took my face in his hands and brought his lips to mine.   
The kiss was nice but I wasn’t falling into that trap ever again.   
“Don’t kiss me,” I said in a low, deadly serious tone.   
“Bellissima, I…” He placed his hand to his chest and, I’m guessing, tried to apologize but I didn’t care. This back and forth bullshit had worn me down too far.   
“I don’t care,” I said to him quietly. “I don’t care what you have to say to me. You…” I looked around to make sure no one was listening. They were in full party mode and no one was paying attention. “You hurt my fucking feelings. I will never have sex with you and I don’t want you to touch me for the rest of the tour.”   
I read pure shock on his face and something like hurt. It quickly turned into fierce anger.  
“You are leaving the tour,” he said through gritted teeth. “I thank you for your work with us. We will pay you for the rest of the run but it is best that we part ways now.”   
I was expecting to feel bad about this but all I could think of was freedom and release. I could return to Austin and get back to important things like my search for a home and my work with David.   
“That sounds better than trying to walk on eggshells with you, getting up each day wondering who I’ll be speaking with when you show up.”  
Any of the remorse he might have had drained from his eyes. “Pussy like you is a dime a dozen for me out here on the road.”  
“Oh, yeah? Is Angie being fired too?” I asked.   
“No, she is background noise for me but you… You, Bellissima, are a ringing in my ears that makes me want to cut my own head off.” He stalked out of the room and Alpha came over to see what the fuss had been.   
I told him I was tired and left for my room. I had shit to pack. 

The next morning I was waiting in the lobby when the rest of the group came down. In my head, I had begged my Uber to show up early but it was taking it’s sweet time. Omega and Alpha stopped by and gave me hugs. I was really going to miss them. Water gave me a wave but didn’t come over. He was known as a bit of a crybaby so I knew he didn’t want to face saying goodbye.  
Angie came off the elevator with an oversized pair of sunglasses on. She clicked her tongue at me as she went by.  
“Tsk, bye bitch. Tell everyone back at the studio I said hi.”   
She quit laughing when Papa came out of the bank of elevators and glared at her.   
“Get on the fucking bus or you’re next,” he growled.   
She moved along. I looked at Papa and he seemed as if he had something to say when he paused at the doors. Instead, he nodded and left without a word to me.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayna meets Goolsby.

The only good thing about being off the tour was that I was given the rest of my pay in one lump sum. They also gave me quite a chunk of change for breaking the contract we’d signed. It didn’t take me long to put money down on a one bedroom duplex in South Austin. It even had a skylight in the bedroom.  
I dove back into work much to David’s relief. My replacement hadn’t been the sharpest tool in the shed and there had been a close call while I was gone but luckily no one had gotten hurt. This had gotten David thinking about ways to control an outbreak.  
We always implanted a chip in the decedent’s brain that would shut them down if they went bad but if they bit someone the virus cocktail we used to bring them back would flood into the bloodstream of the next person and they would be uncontrollable without the chip. He was drawing up plans for a serum that would stop the secondary animates, as he called them.  
I had put it off for a nearly two weeks but I called Todd to arrange a time to get my things back. We agreed on a time and I showed up with my boxes. It went smooth but I detested being under his watchful eye and dancing around all of his questions about why I’d left early. It felt good that have my clothes and books back and be settled into my new home. 

I was sitting at my desk, working out a plan for a patient we’d be restoring the next day when my cell phone buzzed.   
“Hello?” I said holding the phone between my ear and shoulder as I kept typing.   
“Are you sitting down?” It was Carline and she was jumpy, talking way too fast.   
“Yes, actually. Are you okay?”  
“What is the one band you want to get back together more than anything on Earth?” she asked nearly bursting.  
“Queen,” I answered dryly.  
“If only, but I mean a band that can get back together and tour.”  
I thought for a second and the answer was obvious.  
“Blitzkid.”  
She squealed into the phone and I quit working to pull the speaker away from my ear.  
“Are you serious?” I asked.  
“Yes! They’re gonna be down at the Saxon on Thursday!”  
“Oh my God, Carline. Really? Can we get tickets?”   
I heard a slapping noise. “I have them right here in my hands. Girl, we’re gonna get to see fucking Goolsby and TB live together!”   
“Thank you so much!” I said into the phone. I was talking way too fast now as well.   
“Meet you there at nine?”   
“I’ll be there. Holy shit, I’m so excited!”   
“Me too! See ya.”   
I put the phone down on my desk and went back to typing but my heart was beating a million miles a minute. This show was going to be amazing and it was the perfect way to kick off my new life.  
We restored two people between that Monday and Thursday. The patients kept me busy and I needed the distraction. The night of the show I dressed as sexy as I could in the winter weather and got all made up. I made a mental note to get my hair trimmed and to possibly try a new color.   
At the Saxon, Carline was waiting for me outside with our tickets. We sat at the bar and she had a beer while I had a Sprite. I had to work the next day and I couldn’t leave my car. I saw some of the band members walking around but Goolsby was nowhere to be seen.   
I felt someone take the seat next to me at the bar and glanced over. It was a nice surprise to find the opener, Nim Vind, sitting next to me trying to get the bartender’s attention. When he finally did I told her to put this beer on my tab.  
“Thanks,” he said and took a swig.   
“You’re welcome, I love your music.”   
He eyed me for a moment. “Are you coming on to me?”   
There was a pause because I was surprised. “No, I was just being nice.”  
“Oh, cool.” He held out his hand. “I’m… well, you know.”  
I shook it. “Nice, to meet you. How’s the road been treating you so far?”  
He rolled his eyes and took another drink. “We got a flat yesterday and had to cancel the San Antonio gig. Other than that, no problems really.”  
“Well, I’m glad you guys made it here,” I said and held my drink out to him. He clinked his bottle against my Sprite and we chatted some more. After a while he had to go play so Carline and I followed him to the front of the stage.  
His set was so much fun, he played all the old stuff and a few new songs. When it was time for him to wrap it up he announced that Blitzkid would be on next and people lost their shit. I thought Carline and I were big fans but people were freaking out.   
Their set was amazing. They played all the songs I really wanted to hear. During our time talking at the bar I had mentioned to Nim that I worked at Rest-or. Apparently he’d found that interesting enough to share with the other guys because mid-set Goolsby stopped to talk to the crowd.   
“You all know that one of my favorite bands is the Crimson Ghosts. We played this song back in the day a few times but tonight I wanted to dedicate this song to a chick in the audience. She brings the dead back to life and that’s what Necrobabe is about.”   
The band started the song and I was swooning. He sang to me once in awhile and I could swear he winked at me at one point. I sang all the words to the song along with him. I often listened to Necrobabe when I was preparing to bring in a decedent to the lab, funnily enough. They ended the show with Teenage Necrophilian Love and I screamed until I was hoarse.   
After the show there were so many people at the merch booth waiting to greet them that Carline and I had a seat at the bar again to wait. She had switched to water after her two beers and the bartender gave me my Sprite for free since neither of us bought alcohol. Nim came back out and we greeted him.   
“What did you think of the shows?” he asked.  
“Fucking amazing!” Carline said answering for the both of us. I nodded in agreement.  
“Rad, I’m glad we came through.” He leaned in close to me. “Someone really wants to meet you,” he said into my ear. He pointed with his chin in the direction of the merch table and I found Goolsby watching us.  
I smiled to myself. “Cool, I might wander over there in a bit.”  
Carline’s phone rang and a guy came up and started talking to Nim.  
“Hello? Hi, Hon.” She stuck her finger in her other ear and listened closely. “He won’t take the bottle from you at all? Alright, yeah, I hear him screaming. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”  
I sighed. This was why we brought separate cars. I was hoping that she’d be with me when I went to talk to Goolsby. I was enthusiastic about this new whorish life I was trying to live but with having confidence crushers like Todd and Papa on my mind, it would have been nice to have a wing woman.  
When she turned to look at me, I just nodded at her and gave her a hug.   
“Go easy on them. Bug is just missing his mama.”   
“I know. Girl, you have no idea how tiring and time intensive it is to have kids.” She added as a quick save, “but I love them so much.”  
“I’ll call you later.”  
“You better,” she winked. “I want to see pictures too.”  
I knew she meant of meeting Blitzkid but it struck me as funny to think she’d want pictures of what I was planning to do. I waved to her as she went out the door. I wished now, as I watched Goolsby talking to people, that I’d just taken an Uber and had some drinks. I finished my Sprite and left the bar to stand in the line of people waiting to greet the band. I had a magazine for him to sign as an icebreaker, the same one I’d brought to my pole audition as a matter of fact. Both Ghost and The Roving Midnight had articles featured on it.  
He smiled brightly when I got to the head of the line and pulled me in close to the side of his body for a picture. He signed my article and I tucked the magazine back into my bag.   
“You seem really familiar to me. Have you been to any of our shows before?” he asked.   
“No, my friend, she had to go home, we’ve been fans for a long time but it never worked out for us to see your shows before you guys broke up. It was amazing by the way.”  
“Thanks,” he regarded me with a furrowed brow, trying hard to place me. “I really have seen you before but I’ve only been through Austin on tour..”  
I shrugged but then it dawned on me. “I just got off of the Ghost tour. I was doing a pole routine during their set.”   
It hit him then. “Yes, I have a picture of you in the dark that I…” he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you. Shit, now I want you to sign something for me.”  
I laughed, having fans recognize me at shows was one thing but Goolsby had seen me? Holy crap.   
“I need to keep the line moving but stay, don’t go anywhere, I can talk after it clears out a little.”   
“Yeah, I’d love to… chat,” I said with a wry smile. He swallowed hard at that and I watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. This was gonna be fun.  
I talked with some of the other fans and had another drink. Finally, Gools was done talking to everyone. He came up to me at the bar and grabbed my hand.   
“Let’s go somewhere a little more private,” he said.   
I followed him through the crowd that had gathered for the dj after the live band and around the stage to where the bands hung out before going on to play. That room was even more packed than the front had been. He surveyed the people and weighed our options.   
“It’s always fun to sneak into the bathroom…” I offered as though I had actually done this before.   
“No way. You deserve better than that.” He thought for a minute and then his eyes lit up. “I know where we can go.” He went out the door and down the hall to the back entrance of the club and through the cold parking lot. It was so cold that there was hardly anyone outside but the hardcore smokers.   
Goolsby and I stopped at a black van with tinted windows. He knocked on the driver’s door and the window rolled down enough that I could see a guy’s face.   
“Load’s starting already?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.  
“No man, can we hang out in here for a few minutes?” Goolsby asked. He shot a look at me and the guy in the driver’s seat became fully awake all of the sudden. He opened the door and stepped out into the frigid air.   
“Yeah, man, all yours. I’m gonna go get a drink.”  
Goolsby pushed the button to unlock the van and pulled the backseat door open for me. I climbed in making sure to give him a good view on the way in. He got in after me and shut the door, making sure to lock it all up after he was in. It was nice and toasty inside and surprisingly roomy. There was even a blanket that he pulled up from the back. I shuddered to think how many people had fucked on that blanket but it was folded and smelled nice so maybe I was getting it fresh from a laundromat.   
He pulled me close and placed the blanket over us. My skirt was easy to bypass and his hand was in my panties almost immediately. I heard him unzip his pants and my hands went to work. We touched each other and when he kissed me I felt like I was back in high school. Well, high school if I had been cool in any way.   
Making out with him felt so good and the thrill of seeing people walking by us in the parking lot made everything more electric. I was relieved that the windows were so tinted. He was groping my tits over my shirt and I was running my hand steadily up and down and around the head of his dick.   
I was so wet for him that there was no wait time when I straddled his legs and began to slide down onto him. It felt so good to know that he really wanted me. He slid his hands up beneath my shirt and cupped my tits. I leaned back, steadying myself with my hands on his thighs. I could tell he was getting close by the way he started moving harder and faster so I got off of him and on my knees on the seat.   
“I want you to cum in my mouth,” I said in a low voice.   
He was ready because the moment my lips had slipped all the way down his shaft, that’s just what he did. I had never been a big fan on going down on Todd. Mostly because he was rough but also because it felt like I wasn’t there, like it was just him getting off with a toy, but with Goolsby, I wanted to go down on him. I swallowed every bit of what he let go in my mouth and thirsted for more. Knowing he was enjoying it made it so much better. I could get used to this. I reached down between my legs where I was dripping and began to rub my clit. The passion between us was palpable. He reached around my leg and sunk his fingers into my pussy, rubbing them in and out from the side.   
I decided to take this all the way. I circled the fingers of my free hand around the base of his cock and gripped tightly. This kept all the blood in his dick to prevent him from fading. Then I took him into my mouth again and twirled my tongue around the underside of his head. At first, I wasn’t sure it would work.  
“Oh my god, you have to stop!” he said sucking in air between his teeth.   
I kept going and before long his hips were bucking into my face and his fingers were pounding me from behind. Just as I came he started to let go again. There wasn’t nearly as much this time but I could feel his dick throbbing from his second orgasm. I had pulled the same thing Papa had pulled on me, and I was impressed with myself.   
I pulled my panties up and Goolsby folded his blanket neatly before putting it back where it had come from.   
“By the way, that’s the blanket I sleep with. No one else uses it.”  
“So I bet you jerk off under that thing all the time, right?” I said making sure my bra and shirt were straight.   
“Yeah, but not tonight.”   
I smiled and he opened the door for me, helping me down out of the van. He walked with me, arm in arm, back to the club before telling me goodnight with a peck on the lips. I had to go to work in the morning but the late bedtime would be so worth it.   
One the way home I reflected on what a gentleman he had been. It felt good to feel valued even though I didn’t want to consider myself a groupie. I laughed at the thought of him being my groupie after mentioning that he’d seen me in a magazine. Thinking about the magazine made me think of the tour, of course, and I wondered what the guys were up to now.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A call from work before the Calabrese show and some slight, interrupted smut.

Work was going well and I was catching up on everything David was throwing at me. It wasn’t a small task to ready myself to become the head of the lab. It was grueling but I was very excited and knew that my hard work was going to pay off.   
After yet another long day of restoring the dead and studying journals on the subject I got home on a Friday night and got ready for bed. I queued up my long neglected DVR and propped my feet on the ottoman. I had my laptop open and a pint of ice cream in my hand and I was ready to zone out.  
After such a long week I ended up dozing off on the couch. The ice cream had melted so I got up and took it to the kitchen. My backpack from the tour containing some books, journals, and random things sat on the kitchen floor. I hadn’t wanted to go through it, it held so many memories even though I had used it for such a short time. I picked it up and took it to the couch with me.  
I pulled out the bath bombs and dug out the books I’d taken with me. At the bottom of the bag I found the little gold box He had given me for Christmas. I took the top off and just stared at the little piece of jewelry. I had been so happy when he gave it to me. I thought it was the sweetest thing ever. Then he’d ruined it.   
I put the items in their respective places but I wasn’t sure what to do with the bracelet. I took it to the bathroom and placed it, box and all inside my wooden jewelry box. A memento to dig out one day when I was old.   
Back on the couch, feeling a little sorry for myself, I picked up my laptop and browsed Facebook. I clicked on messenger and read through some of the messages that Davey and I had written to each other. It hadn’t gotten too explicit but the undertone was definitely there. I went their page to check their schedule and they had a show coming up in my city next month. Perfect.

The wait for the show dragged on and on. The Friday I was going to see Calabrese, I had a follow-up meeting with Mrs. Madison and her daughter came along. We sat down together in a counseling room once the lab tests were done and we talked about how things had been going in their world since her restoration.   
“I may have been dead but now I feel like I’m truly alive for the first time ever.’” Mrs. Madison beamed. “I feel like there is nothing I can’t do. This year I’m going to become a grandma.”  
I looked over at her proud daughter. “I’m due in June!” she said placing a hand on her barely rounded stomach.   
“Congratulations! That’s great.”  
I moved the meeting back onto its intended track and went over the lab results with the women.  
“Everything looks wonderful for you. Have you been keeping up with your instructions?” I asked.  
Mrs. Madison paused then gave me a phony smile. “Of course, I read the whole book.”  
I knew, just like doctors with their patients, when they were lying and a lot of them lied. I stressed just how important it was that she read the book and follow it’s instructions to a T. I went over the main points again then stood to signal the end of the meeting. The daughter shook my hand gratefully.   
“You ladies be safe and remember Mrs. Madison, that book will help guide you. You want to be ready for that grandbaby, right?”  
She smiled and nodded and they were gone. I blew out a sigh and gathered the lab results to have them filed.   
When my work day finally came to an end I had the jitters almost as bad as the day I’d started the tour with Ghost. How ridiculous, I thought, I know these guys. They’re cool. It still took me several tries to get my eyeliner straight.   
I finally got my eyeliner razor sharp and curled my hair into victory rolls. I wore black sneakers instead of my platform boots. I wanted to be able to jump around and be comfortable. 

I knew that I wanted to drink so I called a cab to take me downtown. On the way, I got a call from David.  
“Hello?”  
“I’m so glad you answered. That organ replacement case...”  
“Yeah? I just spoke with her today.” I tensed from my head to my toes, waiting for whatever news was so important that he had to call me at 9:30 at night.   
“She decided to take the polar bear plunge at Barton Springs after she left here. “  
“Shit, did they contain her?” This was really bad.  
“Well, we got her…”  
“Do I need to come in?” I asked.   
“No, there is nothing you can do from here but keep your eyes open. I know at least one was turned and got away. We haven’t been overrun with the dead yet but containment is working overtime. Be careful.”   
“You too, goodnight.”  
I hung up the phone and wanted to scream. The first rule in the Rest-or patient handbook was do not submerge yourself in water. It is so important that it’s repeated over and over again throughout the text. No baths, no hot tubs, no oceans, no lakes, no swimming pools, and you sure as hell aren’t supposed to lock hands with 40 other people and jump into a large spring in the middle of a densely populated city.   
Not only would the jump probably tear up the work we’d done to reassemble her after the accident, but the water changes the humors in the body and throws off the levels of chemicals in the blood. The restored don’t eat and they don’t use the bathroom. Any fluid that enters the body messes with the delicate balance and can turn them sour.   
I felt bad that the daughter had to lose her mother all over again but I also felt that they’d brought it on themselves. We don’t mess around in my line of business. There are rules and regular check-ups for this very reason.  
I watched out the window of my taxi as we rolled along the highway, luckily my driver wasn’t a talker, and made a note to keep my eyes open all night.  
In front of the venue, I paid the driver and he was pleasantly surprised at the fat tip I threw in. There were groups of people clustered on the sidewalk, smoking and taking pictures, and I scanned the streets and revelers as the door woman put my wristband on. There were plenty of dark alleys around this part of Austin but I felt that the scene was pretty calm so I went on inside.

I stood at the bar waiting for my third vodka and Sprite. The chick behind the counter seemed like she’d been sneaking booze for most of her shift causing her movements to be slow and shaky. I hadn’t really spoken to anyone yet.  
I combed the crowd with my eyes and found Davey and Jimmy standing together. I would have sworn at one point that Davey motioned in my direction then scolded Jimmy for looking when his eyes moved my way.  
I gave them half a smile and turned my attention back to the bar top. Eventually, the bartender slid my drink across the way and proceeded to add the little beverage to my tab on her computer screen. She took so long that I turned my back on her but leaned against the wooden counter. I still didn’t see Bobby but I spent several minutes trying to pretend that Davey wasn’t glancing at me. My jitters weren’t gone and I needed this third drink. The confidence I’d had at the Blitzkid show had vanished into the ether. I think seeing the bracelet Papa had given me took me back to finding her on top of him and my confidence had plunged.  
I could still feel eyes on me even when Davey moved his full attention to the opening band. I quickly scanned the room but found no one obviously watching me. It wasn’t until I lifted my gaze skyward that I realized what was going on.  
In silhouette I found Bobby looking down over the main room from an area reserved for bands and special guests. He gave me a wave then motioned for me to join him upstairs. Automatically I looked behind myself to be sure he wasn’t trying to the attention of someone else. He pointed directly at me and beckoned again.  
My teeth dug into the straw sticking out of my glass as I crossed the large room to the stairway. Guarding the path was a woman with bright pink hair and a very short skirt barely covering her ample ass. Her fishnets were torn and her goth boots gave her the height she needed to tower over me.   
“You can’t go up there,” she said. As if to solidify the order she put her hands on her hips and spread her elbows wider. I looked back to where Bobby had been but the overlook was empty.  
“Please, move,” I said.   
She stepped forward slightly moving into my space and royally pissing me off.   
“No one goes up but the band and when Bobby comes down I’m going to be the first one to talk to him.”   
“Move over Nina, my friend is coming upstairs.”  
She turned around so fast that her hair fanned out behind her. “Sorry,” she said to him. “I didn’t know you were expecting anyone.”  
He took one step down the stairs and reached his hand out to me. I passed Nina and took his offered palm near the top of the staircase. He brought me up to the landing and I went through the VIP room door while he told Nina to take a break and grab something to drink. I made a mental note to watch my back in the parking lot later that night lest Nina decide she wanted to take me down.  
The loft was roomy but transformed to intimate with the help of several oriental rugs covering the worn wooden floor. Huge soft pillows had been propped lazily against the walls and the dim lighting gave the effect of being in a warm, inviting nest  
“Hey, it’s good to see you, Rayna” he said. Bobby took a seat on the rugs and leaned on a pillow directly across the small room from me.   
I sat stiff on the carpets facing him. I could see his chest rise and fall heavily beneath his black button-up shirt.   
“It’s really good to see you too. It’s been a while.”  
“I wasn’t pleased that you had run off so quickly after the show last time we came through.”  
“I had to work,” I explained.   
He laughed slightly and got onto his hands and knees to creep forward at me. He looked genuinely amused now as he came within inches of my face. “I looked at your pictures online and read what you wrote to him. I know you talked to Davey for a while but as little brother, he knows the drill.”  
I was wondering when someone was going to bust in laughing at this elaborate joke when he leaned in the last little bit and touched his lips to mine. I closed my eyes and sucked in breath swiftly. This was so very different than the fantasies I’d had since I’d first met him. His mouth was so soft that he tickled me more than kissing. I began to push back against him to make the full connection and his intensity picked up as well.  
Before I’d been on the road, and danced in front of so many people, I thought I was plain and not the typical kind of beautiful. That might have been true but I learned through my travels that there were plenty of people who found me sexy as Hell. I liked this new life. I guess I should thank Emeritus for turning me into a whore.  
I felt him bring his hand up to my side near the hem of my crop top. I tensed instinctively. Bobby pulled back to look in my face.   
“It’s okay,” he whispered.   
He lifted my shirt and pulled my bra straps from my shoulders to release my large breasts. He breathed faster staring at the sight of my naked chest before lowering his mouth to my collarbone. My stiff body released into his warm mouth and I ran my fingers through his hair in an attempt to pull him even closer to me. He kissed my skin and tickled me with his five o’clock shadow. I let out an involuntarily shivery sigh as he cupped my tits and finally connected his hot lips to one of my erect nipples.   
There was a tightening pulse between my legs and I bucked my hips, trying in vain to find something to grind against. He felt my physical plea, brought his right thigh up between my legs firmly enough for me to find friction and sucked harder on my mound of flesh, pinching with the other hard.  
I desperately grabbed his ass and shoved upwards against his leg. Bobby smiled at me and rocked hard against my pelvis. We moved in a rhythm and he brought his mouth back to mine.  
We heard the squeal of a mic and the thump of the bass cut off the recorded music played in between shows so I reluctantly pulled my mouth away from his.  
“Sound… check. You’ve got to go downstairs.” I was breathing hard between words.  
“Ungh,” his eyes were closed but he was still grinding against me. “I know.”   
As much as I was dying to rub against him until I came I knew that at any moment someone would be up looking for him. I placed my palms on his chest and pushed him back. Bobby gave a half-serious growl and stood up finally.  
“Do you see this?” he asked turning sideways and arching his hips forward. There was a sizable bulge in his tight black jeans. “You’re lucky I’ll have a guitar in front of me.”   
He tried to adjust the thickness to be less noticeable but laughed because he could only seem to make it more obvious. He took a look over the half wall of the loft to see what was happening on the stage and he waved down.   
“Yeah, I’m being summoned,” he said and turned to offer me his hand.  
Instead of just helping me up he tugged me hard enough that I lost my balance forward and ended up against his chest, his arms holding me tight to his body.  
“Don’t run off like you did last time, understand?” He planted an amazingly deep kiss on my mouth.   
“I’m not going anywhere,” I sighed.  
He ran out the door to join the rest of the band. I moved to the window to gaze down on the crowd watching him take his place in front of them.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The show doesn't end like they thought it would.

The guys had their fists in the air and the chicks screamed even louder than before. The pulse that had been fading came back double time and brought a weakness to my knees. On the stage, Bobby ran through a few licks with plenty of rock star posturing. He sang a couple of bars into the mic for the check. The whole thing took about five minutes. The guys then abandoned their posts and disappeared backstage.  
I hurried from the loft to push my way forward through the crush of bodies to the foot of the lifted platform. Time seemed to pass so ridiculously slow but I’m sure it was only ten minutes at the most until smoke began to billow out across the stage floor and the lights dimmed to a deep blue.   
A vintage sounding recording of a theremin began and the guys were barely visible in silhouette as they took the stage again. Bobby’s outline almost blended into the background but I could tell he’d strapped on his guitar and felt his eyes on me in the dark.   
The theremin reached a deafening pitch then cut off suddenly. A heartbeat later the lights came up full and the drums pounded all at once. They were off and running.  
As usual, the crowd just behind the front row began bouncing and slamming into one another. The pit had started. When people knocked into me I’d lean back against them to push them away, back into the jumble.  
The guys were amazing, they played hard and fast, never missing a beat or a note. Watching Bobby buck and hunch and strut around the stage brought knots to my belly and I wasn’t able to sing due to the stupid groupie grin stretching across my lips. I watched Davey too, and his smile matched mine. He pointed at me a few times with his drumsticks.  
There was no filler or chit-chat, just song after song of dead on, face melting rock and roll. The pit was getting harder and I started feeling uneasy with the energy flowing from behind my back.   
The first few bars of ‘At Night I Am the Warmest’ rang out and I thrust my fists into the air. More and more people began to yell and pinball off my back. Between the jumping and singing and seeing Davey put everything into my song, I let loose. I launched myself backward into the crowd and slammed into someone. They shouldered me into others and on and on. None of it hurt, it felt like every bit of anger and fear I’d built up came out in a safe area with like-minded people. Then suddenly, I took an elbow to the gut. My mind exploded into a fuzz of colors and my breath drained from my lungs. I began to fall backward but I was pitched forward again by unknown hands.   
I was able to see through my mental glitter again but I still had visual problems. After blinking several times I couldn’t make the red splotches disappear. The discolorations were on people around me and scattered about what little of the floor I could see. I reached out and touch a woman who was standing with her back to me.   
My hand found a grip on her shoulder and I called out to her but the music was still far too loud for her to hear me. I yelled again.  
“Hey!”  
Her head snapped around on her neck and the eyes that fell upon me were a milky white. Once she was facing me I could tell that the redness wasn’t part of my vision - it was blood gushing from a large gash at the base of this young punk’s throat.   
“Oh fuck!” Bobby yelled through the mic behind me. The band followed his lead and quit playing. It was only when the music stopped that I could hear the screaming.  
The woman in front of me growled and bent her knees preparing to strike. I was doing my best but the shock I was in made the air around me too viscous to move through.  
Just as the woman lunged for me a heavy object came hurtling down onto her head. I heard the sickening crack of her vertebrae as her neck bent at a seriously unnatural angle. Bobby pushed me behind him and hefted his guitar again. This time when the instrument landed it broke her skull in with a crunch and she fell wide-eyed onto the concrete floor.   
“C’mon,” Bobby yelled.  
I followed close behind him as he swung his Gibson left then right to clear a path in front of us. Jimmy and Davey brought up the rear. Drumsticks weren’t the best zombie defense weapon but Davey was still walking so they worked well enough.  
I took in some of the carnage around us but kept a hard hold on Bobby’s leather jacket. The bartender was no longer unsteady, now she’d vaulted over the counter and caught the door chick by the face. She’d twisted her head so fast it swiveled nearly off. Then she went to work on the poor woman’s chest.   
The club owner was backed into a corner and attempting to keep a couple teenage girls back with a metal stool. One girl’s hair was black and the other a bright red. I had seen them from the loft just before I came down for the show and their hair had been black and white, respectively. The owner and his stool lost the battle to the monsters and I averted my eyes before I was witness to the gore. His screams alone were enough to give me nightmares.   
We’d made it through the bulk of the people and were almost home free when I heard Davey let out a grunt.   
“Get off me, motherfucker!” He sent one the drumsticks plunging deep into a guy's eye as they struggled. Jimmy knocked the guy over with a heavy swing of the bass and he stayed down. We made the next couple yards to the back door before I felt something wrench my head back by my hair.   
Jimmy took a swing at whatever it was but it wouldn’t let go of me. Bobby turned to see why I’d lost my hold on him.  
“Nina!” he yelled.   
The monster holding me turned it’s attention to him and loosened its grip slightly.  
“What are you doing?” Bobby asked softly.  
“Me… I should be going with you, not her!” Nina wailed. If she was talking, then she wasn’t a secondary animate like I thought, just a real bitch.  
Bobby gave a quick glance at me and mouthed “It’s fine.”.   
“You’re right,” he said to Nina. “C’mon.” He reached out toward her and I felt her let go of my hair as she moved around me towards him.  
She must have been really starry-eyed because he took the small folding knife from his back pocket, flicked it open and plunged it deep into the right side of Nina’s neck before she noticed what he was doing.  
I couldn’t see her face but I heard her trying to gurgle words at Bobby. He lowered her gently to the floor and tugged the knife from her skin. His hand was slicked in blood but he folded the knife and shoved the back door open again.  
“Move it!”   
Jimmy and Davey pushed me through the door and once in the alley all four of us broke into a run towards the guys’ giant SUV. Jimmy pulled the keys from his pocket and fumbled with the keypad for just a moment before calling out “It’s open!”  
We all jumped in and I nearly shut my foot in the door. Jimmy slammed on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward before I could get my seatbelt on. We were nearly t-boned by a pedicab when we emerged from the alley. The cyclist gave us the finger and a string of expletives faded into the night as we drove away.  
I’d gotten my belt buckled and then glued my face to the window, searching the streets for any sign of the carnage that had taken place in the club. There was no one running or screaming and no one bleeding or crying for help. Everything looked shockingly normal.


	17. Chapter 17

“How’s it looking over there?” I asked to no one in particular.   
“Everything seems… fine,” Davey said.  
“Same here,” Bobby added. He put his hand on my shoulder to turn me toward him. “You okay?” he asked. He gave me a once over then looked me in the eye.   
“I’m fine,” I said feeling a little uncomfortable. “Just freaked at the moment.”  
“I know,” he said pulling me into his arms.   
Davey was looking out the front window but I saw him shake his head almost imperceptibly. I felt Bobby hug me closer but he was holding his bloody hand away from me so he wouldn’t contaminate my clothes.   
“You stabbed Nina.” My mind seemed to register the fact suddenly and my stomach curdled. “Oh God.” I pulled away from Bobby’s embrace and shook my head.   
“I had to or none of us would have made it out of there.” He looked down at his dirty hand. “I didn’t want to but it was the only way.”  
I nodded and he put his arm back around me. I let myself be held for the rest of the ride but the burning glances from Davey made my stomach hurt so I turned my eyes to look out the window, avoiding him.   
We’d gotten out of downtown proper and pulled into a quiet looking gas station.   
“Stay here, I’ll be right back,” said Bobby hopping out and slamming the door before I had a chance to argue.   
Jimmy also got out to pump the gas and Davey switched through radio stations. He and I listened to each channel but found only music and ads until I told him to change it to AM. On 590 a frantic voice spouted about people being attacked and killed at a club in Austin, TX.   
“This bitch just ran up and started clawing at me!” said the caller.   
“I know you’re freaking out man but just, try to keep it clean, we’re live here.”  
The guy on the phone didn’t seem to hear or care about this warning. “She scratched me and then she bit a chunk out of my fucking arm!”  
“Last warning man,” the host warned again.  
“I feel sick now but my buddy is taking me to the hospital. I don’t know if the cops got her or what but I woulda killed that bitch if she didn’t already have her throat ripped out.” He coughed hard as the host cut the call. Davey and I looked at each other and uttered “Oh, shit.”  
“Well, folks, you heard him. People biting and scratching. Severely wounded and still coming at you. Sounds like God’s work to me…”  
“Turn it off,” I said. Davey pushed the knob and the interior of the car went silent. I looked back at Davey and wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt not to vomit.   
“What should we do?” I asked him.  
He shook his head. “I don’t even know.” He sat silently for a beat before he looked up at me again. “What were you doing with up in the loft with him?” he asked.  
I sighed. “That’s not important right now.”  
He shook his head strongly. “It’s is to me. I want you… and I thought you were all about me. We talked so much and then you just disappeared.” He grimaced. “I saw you go up there with Bobby and- imagining what you were doing with him- touching you…”   
“Stop. I didn’t.” I bit my lip. “We kissed. It would be incorrect to say he kissed me because I did it too.”   
Davey nodded. “Do you want him- more than me?”  
I looked at him wide eyed. “I like you alot and, trust me, I do want you.”   
He blushed and I was about to reach up and touch his face when the driver’s side door opened.   
“I heard that there was a wreck on 35 near 34th street by the hospital. Whatever broke out at the club must be spreading,” said Jimmy.  
I looked at Davey just as Bobby opened the door.   
“What’s the plan?” I asked.  
“First we need to make sure we have food and supplies then I’d say for the night we should go to your place,” Jimmy said to me.  
“I agree,” said Bobby and Davey nodded then added, “We can see where it’s spread tomorrow and possibly make it back to Arizona.”  
Jimmy started the SUV while Bobby climbed in next to me. I could tell Davey pursed his lips together when he turned away to buckle his seatbelt.  
We drove along with me giving directions to my place. I avoided leading them down I-35 due to the accident and led them to the HEB near my house for supplies.  
We each had a short list of what we were after and split up. The things Jimmy and I needed were near one another so we walked together.   
“What do you think about what's happening?” he asked me putting a large bag of apples into our cart.   
“I’m scared as hell,” I said. I tried to keep my voice down and keep an eye around us to make sure nothing odd was going on. “I just want to make sure we all survive this. I need to get in touch with my boss possibly go over there.”  
“Why?” Jimmy asked eyeing me and tossing a couple bags of dry rice into his cart.   
“I work at Rest-or.” I watched as the blood drained out of his face then continued. “I know how this started but as far as I know there is no way to stop it except to exterminate every last secondary decedent.”  
Jimmy gave a perplexed “Yeah.” then lapsed into a thoughtful silence.  
After three aisles I couldn’t take it anymore and I had to know. “What are you thinking?” I asked him.  
He shrugged then took his own glance around. “I’m worried about Davey and Bobby, too,” he said.  
Really? I thought, that’s what’s on your mind. I didn’t say that out loud, just asked “What happened?”   
“You happened,” he said with a sigh.  
I shook my head and loaded a bunch of cans of soup into the cart. “What?”  
“Davey has been all about you for months.”  
I felt like crap. “I know. I like them both so much. I don’t know how to fix it.”  
“But the more Davey talked about you to Bobby, the more Bobby started liking you, too.” He shrugged. “I know one of them is going to be broken when you end up with the other. They’ve always had problems with chicks like this. Bobby, he’s open with physical shit but Davey is sensitive. I’m not sure he’d be willing to share.”  
Share? Open physically? Amazing and dirty thoughts bloomed so brightly in my head that I could see and taste them. I didn’t like the fact that he assumed I’d ‘end up’ with one of them. I was just a girl looking for a good time.  
“I know there are challenges there but I’m dealing with them.” I shoved the cart to the front of the store wondering just exactly how I would deal with anything that was going on at that moment. It crossed my mind that I should give Alpha and the guys a heads up but hopefully, things would be contained soon and I was sure they would see it on the news if they hadn’t already.  
“Hey,” Davey came up and put his hand at the small of my back. “We’re done, you ready?”  
“Yeah.”  
In the interest of saving time, we split up taking the two baskets through different lines. I saw that Bobby had beer in his cart and I was glad because my vodkas were wearing off something fierce. Davey helped me unload my stuff.  
We leaned down at the same time to get charcoal and bottled water from the bottom rack. He smiled at me when we both reached out.  
“Hi,” he whispered and moved forward fast. I leaned toward him just as quickly.  
His mouth was delicious and I shuddered at his firm, serious kiss. My tongue slid across his lower lip and he got the message, opening his mouth and giving it back to me.  
“Uh, hello?” called the cashier.  
I opened my eyes and whispered, “We gotta get up.” I grabbed the charcoal and stood to haul it up onto the conveyor belt. “Sorry, my shoe was messed up.”  
The cashier didn’t say anything else, just rolled her eyes and started swiping stuff across the scanner. I glanced quickly at Bobby but he was too busy bagging and fitting groceries back into his cart. Davey dropped the waters onto the line a gave me an adorable grin. All I could muster back was half a smile.  
“That’ll be $135.27,” the cashier said.   
I reached into the pocket of my shirt and found only my driver’s license. “Damn, I left my card at the bar!”  
Jimmy and Bobby stood at the end of our lane with their basket already paid for and I saw them reach for their wallets out of the corner of my eye. Davey got there first and moved closer than necessary to swipe his card. He got so close that I could feel his dick poking into my hip. I looked over at him and he gave me a sly grin.  
Good God, I wanted to jump onto the counter, shed my jeans, and fuck the living hell out of him. The rip of the receipt brought my mind back to the task at hand… and the fact that we’d be fighting for our lives.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first night of the outbreak.

We finally got to my duplex and began to unload everything. Jimmy stood watch and kept an ear on the car radio for updates while Davey, Bobby, and I brought the groceries in. The first free second I had, I called David, my boss. There was no answer and a pit formed in my stomach.  
We still had electricity for the time being so I cooked in the kitchen and saved the charcoal. I made shrimp fettuccine with plenty of peppers and white wine sauce. We each had a couple of beers. The guys gathered on the couch and I sat in my recliner, all our eyes glued to the news.   
The people at the club were still on the loose and though some of them had been taken down they were still spreading this shit. The highway was completely lost now. Apparently, the guy Davey and I had heard on the radio turned, attacked his driver friend, then together they took to turning everyone in the immediate area into mindless ghouls. When I thought of the word ghouls I wondered where the guys on tour were and thought again about calling Alpha to warn him.  
“This is getting fucking real,” Bobby said. He swigged his beer and threw a concerned stare my way.   
“I say we stick with the plan- get some rest tonight and head back to Arizona tomorrow,” Jimmy said. “As far as we know it’s still only here in Austin.”   
“I need to go to Rest-or. I have to know if David is okay.”  
Bobby and Davey looked at me like I was crazy. I explained to them how the outbreak started and that David had been working on a serum to take down secondary animates before all this happened. I didn’t know how far he’d gotten.  
We all nodded in agreement and kept our eyes on the television. The local news station had put some wet behind the ears college journalism student in a pantsuit just outside the roadblocks making up the quarantine around 5th where the club was.  
She was droning on and on in the usual reporter tones and didn’t notice that just behind her a woman was sprinting for the blockade. The runner took the barrier like a hurdle and sank her teeth easily into the reporter’s neck before the cameraman had a chance to pan away from the horrific scene.  
The sinew of the poor woman’s throat pulled and snapped, held between red teeth, before the camera dropped to the ground and the picture cut back to the newsroom.  
The man at the desk was leaned over vomiting behind it and the woman to his left sat with wide eyes and a pale complexion. Neither was able to continue with the broadcast so after a painfully long and awkward wait the channel began playing commercials.  
“The one that bit her,” I said, “she was the bartender who served me my drinks.”  
I got up to drop my beer bottle in the recycling bin. I was tempted to grab a fresh one and keep going until I convinced myself this was all a shitty nightmare but thought better of it and grabbed a bottle of water instead. I also wanted to be clear-headed enough to drive if need be.  
“I’m going to try to get a little sleep. How do you guys want to do this?”  
They looked at each other, shrugged, then looked back to me.   
“Well, do we all want to stay together or is it a ‘sleep where you can’ situation?”  
“Either,” Davey said.   
“I have room for two in my bed and the couch folds out to comfortably fit three.”  
Jimmy spoke up quickly, “The three of us will sleep out here and you can have your bed. I think that’d be best.”  
I nodded but I could see the same look of reluctant disappointment on Davey and Bobby’s faces. I set about getting some extra pillows and blankets for the guys.   
“I have a machete between my bed and nightstand just in case,” I told them hoping to give them enough peace of mind to sleep before we had to get on the road in the morning. “If you need the bathroom or the shower just go ahead and come on in. Don’t worry about waking me, I probably won’t get much sleep anyway. Night.” I gave them a quick wave and closed the door.  
I can completely understand why Jimmy did what he did but I felt lonely and scared even with all of them right on the other side of my bedroom door. I left my phone on the highest setting in case David called me. I tried him once again and there was still no answer.  
Instead of dwelling on the monsters spreading through my city, getting closer and closer to where I was trying to sleep I attempted to put them out of my mind and relax. When I got into bed there were no cute PJs or sexy lingerie for me. My Doc Martin’s went right up next to the bed and I changed into a t-shirt and a clean pair of black jeans. I was dressed right down to my bra. If we had trouble I was going to be ready.   
To drown out my fear of the night's events, I let my mind wander to the guys in my living room. The next thing I knew I woke up to a strange noise, almost like crying. I grabbed my machete and prepared myself. The first thing I did was make sure the living room was safe. I could see two forms on the couch but couldn’t tell exactly which brothers they were.   
I closed the bedroom door as quietly as possible and pushed the button to lock it. Placing the sharp blade back in it’s resting place I split the blinds over the window that looked out over the front yard. The street lights were on as usual and they revealed a calm looking neighborhood. I listened closely but all I could hear now was the white noise of the shower running. After one more long, careful look at the front yard, I put the blinds back into place and tiptoed to the bathroom door.   
Cracking the door just the smallest bit nearly blinded me. The bedroom was dim and even the street light wasn’t bright enough to prepare me for the glare of the bulbs above the vanity.   
It occurred to me that the crying I’d heard earlier was actually singing.The opaque shower curtain prevented me from seeing him but the X-men belt buckle and “party guy” patch on his jacket hanging over the towel bar gave Davey away.   
“Evil prevails, on the night you left your home...”  
I could see the outline of his body moving beneath the water and smiled, holding back a giggle. It was just so ridiculously cute. I did the only appropriate thing and stripped off my clothes to join him. He was facing the sprayer when I stepped in behind him so my view of his ass was unhindered.   
He continued singing “and I’ll take you away, alone...”  
Davey reached down to take the bar of soap from its holder but never looked at me. “Can you get my back since you’re in here?”  
I was surprised when he turned to look at me over his shoulder and offered the soap under his arm.  
“How did you know?” I asked, taking the soap and going to work on his back.   
“Hah, I’m the youngest of five brothers and sisters. Almost nothing can sneak up on me anymore.”  
A smile snaked across my lips. I had covered his back in suds but took a minute to massage his shoulders and slowly moved my hands down to his ass. He tensed a bit and looked over his shoulder at me again.   
“Do you really want to do this?”  
I bit my lower lip and nodded. We kept our eyes locked as he turned his body towards mine, standing straighter and puffing out his chest.   
I knew he was expecting me to look first but I continued to stare into his face. I really wanted to look - and touch and taste- but I held strong. Finally, after what seemed like forever I reached my hands up and placed them on his chest, running my fingers through his hair. I danced my fingertips around until they were beneath his shoulder blades and stepped forward to press my body to his. When our chests touched, I felt Davey sigh deeply.  
“I don’t have to look. It’s all about how it feels anyway, right?” I turned my slick body slowly, letting him get hard against my hip.  
Davey closed his eyes and I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.   
“You feel amazing,” he whispered. After a bit more rubbing and a couple well-placed kisses on the neck, I drew my body back from his. I wasn’t about to let him get off that easily.   
He opened his eyes to me again and looked into mine as he lifted his hands to squeeze my tits. I felt a slight guilt in my belly as he sucked on and twisted my nipples- remembering Bobby doing almost the same thing gave me both good and bad butterflies.   
My breath was erratic and I thought I might reach my peak just through the simple feeling of him playing with my nipples. Sucking in a breath, I pushed at his shoulders softly. When he came up he was breathing just as heavily as I was.   
“We’ve got to slow down a bit,” I said.   
He got a look on his face like I’d just punched him in the gut.  
“No, not like that,” I said. “I just mean maybe we can go get under my huge down comforter in there.”   
He smiled again and turned off the water. Through the process of drying off and making our way to my bed, I got several glimpses of his full body. At one point once the bathroom light was off, I got a feel but he swore the poke was an unintentional side effect of not being able to see where he was going in the dark. I didn’t buy that but I also didn’t mind.  
I took a match from the little box on my night table and used it to light my balsam scented candle, it had been my gift from Alpha when we had shared Christmas together.   
I’d already gotten under the blanket but the candle cast amazing dim light across Davey’s naked form. He was drying his hair and the swift swipes against his scalp gave me time to take in his naked body. It was mesmerizing. He lowered the towel and dropped it at the end of the bed before crawling up beside me and joining me beneath the thick, soft comforter.  
We lay there just looking at one another for a solid minute. I wanted him to make the first move but I was getting antsy.  
“You okay?” I asked.  
His eyelids seemed heavy but there was still sparkle in his hazel eyes. “Yeah,” he sighed. “Just trying to enjoy the moment.” He reached up and brushed a bit of hair out of my face. “I’m not sure when we’ll be able to sleep in a bed again once we get on the road, you know? I’m savoring it.”  
With that, he propped himself up on an elbow and hovered above me. “I’m committing every bit of this to my memory.”  
I placed my hand behind his neck and pulled him down on top of me. My mouth found his and proceeded to devour. The weight of his body against mine was grounding, as if he kept me from floating away. I loved the feeling of his chest rubbing against mine as we kissed. My legs fit perfectly around him and tugged him as close to me as possible.  
“Do you think it will be okay?” he asked.   
“It’s okay…” I said. Even if I had been worried about getting pregnant I still would have said it was fine. We were going to be on the road in the midst of an outbreak and very possibly one of us could die. Fuck it.   
I felt him right at my opening. He pushed forward slightly then retreated a few times before he really began to enter me. There was a shift in the air and temperature of the room.  
“What is that?”  
“It’s my dick,” he said looking really confused. He was buried in me to the hilt and throbbing.  
“No,” I laughed at his sincerity despite my concern. “It felt like someone opened the front door.”  
“I didn’t hear anything,” Davey said.  
We stayed stock still listening and, as much as I was trying to concentrate, I could feel him pulsing in between my legs. I closed my eyes and took a couple of breaths.   
“What’s wrong?” he asked.   
I shook my head. “Not wrong, I’m just trying really hard not to come.”  
He looked down at our bodies and moved his hips. “You’re already getting close, huh?” He smiled and I clawed at his back desperately. Suddenly he pulled out and froze.   
“What?” I asked and he gave me a forceful shush.   
We heard Jimmy’s voice from beyond the windows, yelling. We both bolted from the bed and dove into our clothes. I was done before Davey, he had to shove himself into pants that were tight when he was hard, so I grabbed my machete and slid out the bedroom door, pulling it closed behind me.   
Bobby was just putting on his boots when I got to the living room.  
“What’s happening?” I asked.   
“I’m not sure” He stood, kissed my mouth quickly and strode to the door where the ax handle rested against the doorframe.   
I led the way down the sidewalk to the driveway where we found Jimmy pulling a switchblade out of the side of a monster's head.   
“It sounded like someone was breaking into the SUV so I came out and found this thing.” He bent down to rub his knife and hands on the grass in an attempt to clean them. “I’m sure it wouldn’t have made it this far into the suburbs without attacking anyone so there have to be more coming and they’ll be here soon.”  
We all scanned the streets around us but nothing seemed to stir.   
“I say we get our shit together and leave now rather than wait until it gets worse,” Jimmy said. We followed him back into the house where Bobby made sure to lock the door once we were all in.   
Each of us began gathering what we’d need on the road. I went to my bathroom to grab a couple of personal items and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair told a story with its flat side and rat’s nest in the back. I really hoped Bobby didn’t notice or realize what I’d been up to.  
A face appeared behind me and I nearly punched Davey in the mouth when I spun around.   
“This is a bad time to sneak up on people, don’t you think?”  
“You did the same thing to me just a bit ago.”  
He planted his hands on the small of my back and pulled me closer. I let my head fall back slightly and Davey touched his lips to the sweet spot on my neck.   
“Ugh, you’re making it worse,” I moaned   
“Shh, I don’t want them to hear you,” his voice was full of smile.   
“I’m wound up and I have to sit in a car with you for two days wanting you but not being able to have you.” I tried to rub against his thigh but he kept moving back bit by bit so that I could never find purchase.   
“I know,” he said running his fingers through his hair. “I’m just too hot to handle,” he joked.  
I kissed his neck and gave his skin a nibble.   
“You are. I was so close to getting off when you were inside me.” Kiss. “You weren’t even moving and it was incredible.” I pulled his hands from my hips to my tits and instantly we were headed for the bed again. Only about half a second before I was going to shove him on his back and climb on top of him the door opened and Jimmy stuck his head in.   
“There are more coming down the street,” he said darkly, knowing exactly what we’d been up to. “Everything is loaded so if you two can keep your hands off each other long enough to get in the car, that’d be great.” He shook his head.   
I grabbed the toiletries I’d gathered from the bathroom and a couple of blankets and pillows. At the front door, I stopped and ran back to the bathroom. I took the bracelet Papa had given me out of its box and stuffed it in my pocket. I hadn’t wanted to admit it to myself but I still loved that thing. Before leaving the bedroom I took one last look around. Would I be back here soon? If so would it all be undamaged? I was sad to be leaving my new home.  
Bobby called from the end of the walkway. “C’mon, there are more of them coming every minute!”   
I locked the door and closed it firmly hoping it might keep out the undesirables both living and dead. When I got to the car Jimmy and Davey were already loaded in so I took a seat in the second row while Bobby threw the last of my camping gear into the back. He got in and smacked the headrest of Jimmy’s seat.   
We were off and avoiding the dead on the way out of the road was easy enough but telling who was who on the main road was more difficult. We couldn’t avoid hitting a couple of the secondary reanimates. There were people being chased and people running for shelter.   
There were quite a few cars swerving through the flutter of bodies in and around the streets and avoiding them was close to impossible. Jimmy was making his way like a stunt driver and soon enough we were on a relatively quiet stretch of the I-35 access road. The news was saying that they were still attempting to clear the downtown area but they were doing okay so far.   
Davey turned the knob in a huff, “That guy is making it sound like it was nothing and the whole thing is over. The shit we just drove through isn’t containment. How stupid.” He crossed his arms and stared out the window.   
Bobby pulled me into his chest and draped his arm around my shoulders. “You should get some more sleep now while everything is relatively smooth,” he said.   
I pulled out my phone and tried David again. This time he answered.   
“Rayna, are you okay?” he asked. It sounded like he’d been running.   
“Oh my God, I’m fine. What’s going on down there? Should I come get you?” I asked.  
“No!” he said quickly. “Don’t come here, they’re swarming. It’s like they know this is where they came from. I’m in my panic room for now. Containment is working around the clock…”  
“Containment is failing…” I cut him off. “They were coming into my neighborhood. What happened to the serum you were making?”   
“I can’t get to it. The lab is overrun. They aren’t breaking anything, just wandering, looking to add to their numbers. Get out of town. When it’s clear I’ll call you.”  
There was a loud crash and the line went dead. My heart was pounding out of my chest and I debated telling the guys to go by the lab anyway but if David said it was overrun and not to go there, he wasn’t one to exaggerate.  
I began to cry. This wasn’t how our work was supposed to end up. It was supposed to help people, not destroy the Earth. Bobby let me snuggle up on him and cry until there were no more tears to fall.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of fun on the road.

My face felt hot before I opened my eyes and there were bright colors dancing behind my eyelids. Bobby had abandoned his post as my pillow so I pushed myself up from the bench seat and inspected my surroundings. A gas pump blocked my view to the left and to the right was a highway with traffic rolling along normally.   
I felt a bit dizzy. We’d left Austin in such a hurry, feeling like everything was going to hell so waking up to a normal world was anticlimactic and confusing.  
Stepping out of the car I stretched up to see over the pump and spotted Jimmy at the counter. Bobby was loading up his arms with crap like pork rinds and popcorn.   
Just as I wondered where he’d gone off to, Davey came out of a door on the side of the building; the men’s room. I waved at him and started speed walking over to where he stood, confused. I reached him just before the bathroom door closed. I yanked the handle back and pushed him back into the small, dingy space.  
“Where are we?” I asked.   
He stammered for a moment. “We’re just outside of Arizona,” he said.   
“So, what’s the deal? Nothing has gotten this far?” I dropped my pants and sat down to use the toilet while I asked him these questions.   
His mouth flopped open and he turned away putting up his hand to the side of his face. “Uh, the radio was saying that it’s spreading across Texas quickly but they think for now it hasn’t left the state.” He peeked over at me as I pulled up my pants.   
“What are you looking at?” I asked.   
He blushed so sweetly. “Sorry.”  
I approached him with my pants still unbuttoned. “You know, I felt really bad that we didn't get to finish our fun.”   
His breathing became quick and shallow. “Yeah, I was sorry about that too.”  
I backed him against the door and settled my mouth on his throat just below his jaw. Davey stationed his hands on my ass and unflinchingly pulled our bodies together tighter. I felt him swelling and my own body was reacting accordingly. I lifted my right leg to wrap it around Dave’s body. He ground into me harder; quickening his movements and I knew he was getting close to release.  
I wriggled free of his grasp, dropped to my knees, and opened his belt and black jeans. There wasn’t much time but I had to tease him just a bit more by running my teeth over his head through his grey boxer briefs.  
“Oh, damn…”   
I pulled him out into full stiff standing and ran my tongue up the underside of his shaft.  
Davey placed his hand on the back of my head lightly and moved his hips forward trying to make a deeper connection with my mouth without choking me. I moistened my lips and plunged down onto his dick. His hair tickled the very tip of my nose and his head was nestled at the back of my throat. I couldn’t quite go any farther but his shuddering told me it was fine. I gave him a few long slow mouth strokes then I sped up and reached around to grab his ass.  
There was a pounding on the door and we both froze.   
“Just a minute,” he called.  
“Wanted to tell you we’d meet you in the car,” Bobby said.   
Oops.  
“Do you know where Rayna is?” he asked.   
Davey looked down at me with his cock in my mouth. I gave another few slurps and he struggled to manage a coherent thought. “I’m not sure, maybe in the ladies room.”  
“Okay.”   
We listened to Bobby’s boots retreat in the gravel and after they’d faded I went full speed on Davey.   
“Ungh, yeah, oh shit…” he babbled then groaned deeply and I felt him get even harder against my tongue and throat.  
He pushed into me and filled my mouth with his cum. I held on to his hips tightly as he thrust a couple times then he slumped against the wall.   
I stood up to wash my face and caught a glimpse of him in the mirror. He was leaning back with his pants undone and his dick hanging out. He seemed completely at ease, smirking at me, and looking ready for a nap. I dried my hands and turned to face him.  
“You’d better close up shop so we can get going or Bobby is going to come back and we’ll be caught.”  
His face changed and he quickly tucked himself in, buttoning his pants and buckling his belt. “Let him catch us. Jerk…”  
He sauntered over to where I was leaning on the sink and placed his hands on my hips.   
“Do you want me to get you back?” he asked looking right into my eyes.   
“I’d love that but they’re waiting; we really do need to go. You can make it up to me when we get to your place,” I said. I thought back to how Todd would never reciprocate and wondered how he was doing in the outbreak. Then I realized I didn’t care.  
Davey moved in and placed a soft kiss on my mouth. “If you insist.”  
I pushed back against him then pulled away completely. “See you in the car.” Then I walked out. Instead of going left I turned right to go around the back of the building and emerge on the other side like I’d been in the ladies room.  
Even though we put in the effort to get to the SUV at different times we couldn’t have gotten there anymore in sync if we’d planned to. Davey smiled and opened the door for me. He gave me a sly pat on the ass in the guise of helping me up.   
Bobby reached out and smacked Davey’s hand. I froze, my fight or flight response ramped up, and I was horrified they were going to come to blows. Instead, Bobby laughed then Davey laughed. They slapped hands then Davey got in and shut the door.   
We got on the road and within half an hour Davey was snoring lightly. I was tucked up under Bobby’s arm, warm and feeling safe when he leaned over a whispered in my ear, “I don’t know what you did to him but you wore him out.”   
I looked into his face, scared of what I might find.   
“It’s okay,” he shrugged, “I know he was first.” He got close to my ear again. “I’m just looking forward to when you put me to sleep.” He ran his tongue along the outside of my ear and I felt my nipples get hard. He took my hand and placed it on his thigh beneath our blanket. “Really looking forward to it.”   
I guess he thought better of going any further just then because he ran his fingers through my hair for a bit and we drove on.   
The sky had completely given way to the night before Davey woke. He stretched and glanced back at me with a grin. I couldn’t help but smile back. I took the chance to peek up at Bobby and found him totally out. His head hung over the back of the seat and his mouth was wide open.  
We all rode in silence for a while longer before Jimmy pulled into the guys’ neighborhood. Once we’d stopped in the driveway I shook Bobby awake and we all stepped out of the car.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the cat's away...

Everything appeared quiet and still outside and with the house but we kept our guard up approaching the door. Davey and Jimmy went around back on either side to make sure the windows and the back door were still secure. Once they’d returned and given the all clear we watched Davey take his keys out of his pocket and open the door.   
Stuff in the house was undisturbed and it all looked normal. The power was on and the water seemed fresh but we checked the news. It had spread to Oklahoma and was moving our way fast. Jimmy and Davey went out for yet more supplies leaving Bobby and myself to secure and reinforce the doors and windows.   
Jimmy and Davey were no sooner down the driveway before Bobby was all hands and mouth. I was bending over to pull a casserole dish from a lower cabinet and he came up behind me nearly knocking me over.   
I could feel how hard his dick was already through my jeans. I stood quickly and turned to find him in a tee shirt and black boxer briefs, his hand rubbing his cock through the thin cotton.  
He moved forward and pinned me against the counter pulling at my shirt and grinding his hips into mine. My mouth opened when our lips touched and I sucked on his tongue the way I wanted to suck him other places. I struggled with the button on my jeans as we pressed into each other. He finally couldn’t wait anymore, he yanked them off over my boots. I pushed myself up so I was sitting on the edge of the counter. I’m sure I looked ridiculous in just shirt, socks and shoes but I needed him inside of me so badly that I didn’t fucking care.   
Bobby stopped suddenly and looked into my face. “I’ve wanted you since I first saw you last October.” He reached between our bodies and rubbed the head of his cock against my slick clit. I was practically mewing with want and anticipation.  
“I’ve looked at your picture countless times and fantasized this moment while I’ve jerked off.” He moved his dick down and nestled it right at my opening with deliciously slight pressure.   
Bobby kept his eyes on mine as he pushed just a little bit at a time, more and more until just the head of his dick was inside me. I was breathing heavily, already feeling stretched. He thrust into me fast burying himself to the hilt and bring my hips up off the counter.   
The gasp I let out was sharp and high pitched. “Oh my God!”   
Once he’d gotten all the way in Bobby buried his face in my neck and pounded away, leaving me holding on for dear life. I could feel my ass sliding off the edge of the counter but before I fell he tucked his arms under my thighs and picked me up continuing to bounce me on his cock.   
I held tight to his shoulders and met his mouth with mine. He slowed his tempo to a deep beat and groaned with growing intensity at each thrust. I tensed my legs and worked hard to move but he had me tight.   
“You don’t have to move. Just come when you want,” he said then kissed me. “I just want you to come for me.”  
“Slow down, it’s… it’s happening too fast…” I moaned.  
“It’s not too fast… it’s been months… ungh!”   
I was hearing purring moans releasing from my mouth but I couldn’t control them. I got louder with each stroke until my body clenched up and I couldn’t make another sound.   
Bobby didn’t stop in spite of my spasms- he just went quicker and faster, approaching his own plummet from the cliff. He shivered hard as he released into me and grunted leaning my back against the kitchen wall for traction.   
“Oh my God!” He kissed my lips and looked at me with tired eyes. “Shit, that was unbelievable.” He stroked my face and lay his head down against my collarbone. “I promise we’ll slow it down next time. I have just been dying to do that, you have no idea.” He sighed and kissed my shoulder then he nearly dropped me when the danger alert ringer on my phone sounded.  
He carried me over to the counter still stuck on his dick and I reached out to answer the call.  
“Hello?”  
Bobby wiggled his hips and I gave him a warning glance.   
“Hey, you.” It was Davey. His voice was soft and it gave me a slight ache in my belly. I pushed against Bobby and gave him a true stern look. He finally pulled out and put me down.   
“We’re on our way back, are the windows covered? There are reports from Mesa that they’re in Arizona and spreading fast.”  
I pointed at the last few unsecured windows and widened my eyes at Bobby. He got the message about the windows and double-timed getting dressed to get back to work.   
“We’re almost done. Did you get everything you went for?”  
“Yeah, we’re good. Guns, ammo, more water, and food.”  
“Good. Be careful and come home safe to me,” I looked to see if Bobby had heard. If he did, he was kind enough not to say anything.   
“I will, Baby.” There was warmth in Davey’s voice. “I can’t wait to climb into bed with you tonight and keep you safe.”   
“Me too,” I said.  
I put the phone down and hurried to help Bobby. The whole time I was hammering and holding boards up to the wall all I could think of was Davey’s promise to get into bed together- and what Bobby would say about it.   
I was putting the drill back into its charger base when I heard the bolt on the front door click open. I finished securing the tools and headed for the kitchen to check on dinner as the guys came in with their bounty.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much just smut.

Dinner was okay, protein, starch, vegetable. All of the doors and windows were checked and double checked. All of our weapons were loaded and at the ready.   
I had gotten the quickest shower I could manage and made sure to lock the door. Their claw foot tub was amazing and creepy at the same time. The whole house was full of the vintage toys and collectibles they loved.   
The guest room, where I’d chosen to sleep, had a huge old bed covered with a couple of quilts and crisp white sheets. The brass frame seemed sturdy enough as I sat on it to slather lotion on my naked body.   
Once I was done I slipped into a tank top and my pajama pants. I padded across the antique carpet covering a wooden floor and flipped the light off. Before I got into the bed I slipped to the window and peeked out of the thick curtains down onto the street. Everything seemed calm. There was even a guy across the street watering his yard.   
Behind me I heard a small knock on the door before it came open. The hall light was bright and I could tell from the silhouette that Davey was coming into the room. He was out of his usual uniform of leather jacket and jeans now, wearing only boxers and a t-shirt.   
“Hey,” he said shutting the door behind himself. He stopped in the dark and just exhaled a long breath. “I have been waiting for this moment for months but these last few days have been the worst.” He approached me, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me off the floor. He gave me several short pecks on the mouth and I could see the glow of mischief in his eyes despite the lack of light. He carried me to the bed and sat me down gently.   
I climbed beneath the thick quilts and snuggled down against the pillows. He followed and settled on his side facing me so he could gently stroke my face. “Roll over on your stomach,” he whispered. I did as he said and he lifted my shirt to run his fingers up and down the skin of my back. I wiggled and heard him laugh lightly.  
I was just beginning to feel sleepy when he sat up and straddled the back of my legs. He pulled my pj pants down and began to slide his fingers around my ass and thighs. This particularly sensitive part of me was straining to get away from the tickling touches when his fingers found a more delicate area.   
I thought I was going to cry out when he began softly stroking his fingers over my lips. I was so engorged and sensitive that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to take him penetrating me before I came. Before I could get that far he moved back to kneading my butt and planting kisses on my back and shoulders. I felt one of his hands leave my body, do something else and then slowly snake around my rib cage to cup my right breast.   
I brought my knees up beneath my hips and offered myself to him. Apparently, that was what he was waiting for and he was ready because just as I had completed the move he was right there at my opening. His breath was ragged and fast but he kept steady as he pushed into my body. Davey was going slow so he wouldn’t hurt me but despite his bountiful size, all I could think of was him filling me again, and to completion this time. I shoved back onto his shaft hard totally connecting us and had to take a moment to keep from going too quickly.   
“Ungh,” was all he could manage to say after the move and I felt him get harder in me, throbbing and massaging my insides. I began to move on him and he held onto me but he didn’t seem able to move. I glanced over my shoulder and found him with his head back, eyes closed and mouth open into an O shape so I sat back on him a couple more times then moved off of his dick and turned to face him.   
“I want you,” I kissed him, “to lay on your back now.”   
He opened his eyes slightly to see me biting my lip. Instead of asking questions or fighting he just nodded and did as I’d ordered him.   
I slipped my shirt over my head and pulled my pants the rest of the way off. Davey was on his back with his cock sticking straight up in the air, just begging for me to sit on it. I got onto his thighs but didn’t put him in me just yet. I spread my legs wide and leaned back exposing everything to him. I licked my finger and gently rubbed my clit in quick circles. I didn’t need the help, of course, I just wanted to see Davey squirm. He reached out to slick his fingers over my slit and a moan emerged from my throat. I put a hand over my own mouth and listened to see if anyone was coming down the hall.   
When I was sure the coast was clear I spit on Davey’s dick and jerked him off to spread it around. He was chomping at the bit to get inside of me so I gave him what he wanted. Once I was sitting all the way down on him I would hardly move without him hitting all the right spots.   
“I don’t know how long I can last so just let me fuck you. You don’t have to do anything except this,” I drew his hands up to my nipples. “Pinch them.”   
He looked like he was about to protest. “Hard!” I said and smacked him on the thigh. He did as he was told. I bucked and ground into him hard rubbing my clit against him. It didn’t take long until we were both dying to get off.   
A door opened down the hall and we looked at each other desperately. I tried to stop and get off of him or at least reach for the quilts to cover up.  
“No,” he breathed, “no, don’t stop.”  
“Some...someone is … coming,” I cried.   
But there was no stopping and even as I heard the footsteps approach the door and turn the knob, I couldn’t stop fucking him. I saw Bobby’s face peek into the door when it opened and I still couldn’t quit.   
He was in shock at first but then he came in and shut the door. Davey looked at him incredulously but kept thrusting. Bobby stayed by the door but reached into his boxer briefs.   
Watching him watching us sent me right to the edge. I leaned down and kissed Davey deeply then moved on him quicker. He laid his head back and came in me. The warm sensation was the last straw and I followed suit, gasping and moaning, unable to control the sounds I was making. Bobby rubbed furiously and by the time I was done he shuddered and came, too.   
We were all still taking deep breaths when Davey looked over at his brother. Bobby stood there, his hand covered with cum and turned bright red. He left quickly, slamming the door on his way out.  
“What the hell just happened?” Davey asked looking at me.   
I just shook my head and got off of him.   
“Should I go talk to him?” Davey asked.  
“I think he’s embarrassed and probably worried you’re angry at him,” I said leaning over to find my tank top to clean myself off. “If anything I think I’ll talk to him in a little bit. You know, give him time to calm down.” I leaned back on the bed to come face to face with Davey. “What did YOU think of all that?”   
He shrugged. “I don’t know, it was kind of odd. I mean he IS my brother. I don't think I could get off watching you with another guy.”   
I smiled at him.   
“All I know is that I am too worn the fuck out to care that much at the moment.” He rolled over onto his stomach and put his arms beneath the pillows. “I’m ready to sleep. Those monsters will definitely get worse before they get better.”   
“If they ever get better,” I mumbled. I had nearly forgotten there were undead wandering around looking to turn us into them.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overrun and back on the road.

When I woke there were beams of sun peeking through the window. I stayed still and listened, watching the dust motes floating through the light. I heard nothing out of the ordinary so I gently pulled my arm from around Davey’s middle and slid out of the bed. Instead of putting my pajamas back on I decided to get fully dressed.   
On the way down the stairs, I could smell coffee brewing and I perked up automatically. When I came around the arch leading into the kitchen I found Bobby facing away from me making a cup for himself. I leaned against the wall and just watched him, his long hair was clean and shining, men’s hair always seems to be the best because they just leave it be. He wore an untucked black tee and tight black jeans but his feet were bare instead of shoved into the usual dusty motorcycle boots.   
I quietly walked up behind him and he jumped slightly when I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head against his shoulder blade.   
“Morning,” I said. It was so much easier than facing him straight on.   
He glanced over his shoulder at me and then went back to his cup. He shook his head and I felt like I would cry. After what seemed like an eternity he took one of my hands and brought it up to his mouth. He planted a soft kiss on my palm, brought it to his cheek, and sighed deeply. He turned to face me then, still holding my hands but he refused to meet my eyes.   
“I am sorry about what happened last night.” He took a deep breath and took a moment to plan his words carefully. “I’m guessing Davey doesn’t want me around anymore.” Now that he finally glanced up at me he seemed really freaked out. He only kept my eyes for a second before looking back at our hands. I don’t think he noticed me shaking my head.   
“No, it’s not like that at all,” I said. “He actually didn’t mind that much.”   
Bobby’s mouth fell open and he looked with shock peppering his features. “Really?”  
I nodded and smiled brightly when he wrapped his arms around me and swayed back and forth. “Oh man, I thought I’d have to leave and I’d lose my brothers and get devoured by brain eaters.”  
“Don’t worry they aren’t brain eaters. They just want to recruit you,” I said half joking.  
Just then Jimmy came into the kitchen and grimaced. “You’d better knock that off before Davey wakes up.” He shook his head while filling his cup with hot coffee.  
“It’s okay,” Bobby said putting his arm around my shoulder and kissing me deeply on the lips. “We’re good.”  
Jimmy sighed and left us there groping happily on one another. A little later Davey entered the kitchen and when he found Bobby and I sitting at the kitchen table, he shot me a look. I just smiled and nodded at him. He seemed to perk up and that was the end of it. 

About a week later, as a distraction, the guys went upstairs to play some music. They’d put it off, not wanting to make any more noise than they had to, but we’d all become a bit stir crazy and they promised to keep it low so the house wouldn’t attract attention. I stayed downstairs to dig into their amazing book collection.  
I was stretched out on the couch, finishing a Poe story when I heard a bang that didn't come from upstairs. I slid the book back onto the shelf and tiptoed to the front hall. The area was silent except the music flowing down the stairs, then just as I turned to leave there was another bang. The next one was accompanied by a cracking sound. There were windows on both sides of the front door and one of the dead was bursting through the left side fast, the boards we’d mounted weren’t holding.  
“Guys!!” I screamed.  
I heard an excited grunt from the porch and the guys kept playing. Should I try to stop this thing myself or take the time to get the guys to help me and risk several of them getting in? I ran back to the living room to grab the pistol I’d placed on the end table in case something like this happened. Once the thing broke through enough for me to have a clear shot I put the gun to its forehead and pulled the trigger.   
A couple more had followed it up the driveway and I shot them too before they could reach the door. The guys came pounding down the stairs, alerted by the gunshots. I didn’t see any more around the small area visible through the window but I knew they couldn’t be far off.  
“We’re gonna want to recheck everything,” Jimmy said. “That was way too close.” He opened the door and looked around then slammed it shut and locked it.  
“There is a large group of them coming up the driveway,” he said with fear in his voice.  
“The boards aren’t going to hold against them and more gunshots will just bring more dead,” I said.   
“She’s right,” Jimmy said turning to his brothers. “We can fight our way to the car right now but if we have to fight more than this we might not be able to get away.”   
Bobby looked at me and I could see the worry in his eyes. “Go pack what we need,” he said to me.   
I nodded, threw a glance at Davey as I went past, and moved as quickly as I could to collect our essentials.   
I could hear the guys readying their weapons and debating a strategy to get out of the house without losing anyone.   
“Three minutes,” I called from the kitchen. Jimmy came in to help and I loaded him with two large bags of food and water. I packed a bag of food and first aid supplies that I would carry and left it by the door to go upstairs for my backpack.  
Back in the foyer, Bobby and Davey were loaded down with guns and other weapons.   
“Stand back,” Davey said. “I’m going to open the door and we’re going to run for it. This group doesn’t seem too fast but that doesn’t mean we can’t be ambushed.”   
We all readied ourselves for the signal. I gripped my baseball bat hard and made sure my bags were on tight. Davey winked at me and threw the door open, charging into the crowd that was shambling closer. Jimmy went out next and Bobby stole a kiss from my lips before holding out his hand to usher me through and following me out.   
Davey and Bobby had dropped most of them by the time I got to the car but as I lifted the back door for Jimmy and myself to load up the food and gear one of the zombies lunged from the bushes and grabbed Jimmy’s larger bag. He had to let go of the supplies for me to get a clear hit at the thing’s head. Once I had caved it’s head in, the corpse collapsed on top of the bag. The guy was big. Jimmy and I both pulled at the black strap but neither it or the corpse was going to give. The SUV started up and Jimmy and I just looked at one another shaking our heads.  
He went to the left back door and I to the front passenger seat and the SUV began to reverse before I even had my door closed. Davey was backing out of the tree-lined drive as quickly as possible without losing control. He had to keep the momentum to back over the animates accumulating at the entrance.

Out in the street, Davey slammed on the brakes and put the car in drive. If he had stopped half a second later he would have collided with the red sedan hauling ass up the street.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group meet up with some familiar faces and find safety in the last place Rayna wants to be.

“What should I do?” Davey asked wide-eyed.   
Bobby took a close look at the other car through the back window. “It’s Goolsby and Nim!” He waved and made a follow us motion. The driver of the other car flashed their lights and when we took off they followed us mile for mile.   
Jimmy took out his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts list. When he got to one that read “Goolsby” he pressed the green phone button and we all waited hoping that the other man had his phone.   
Jimmy brightened up when he heard a voice on the other end of the line. I watched out the back window as Nim Vind spoke on the phone, relaying messages, while Goolsby sped up to follow us out of the city.   
I wasn’t listening to Jimmy’s words because I was busy trying to get a glimpse of Goolsby in the other car. He and I had met at a Blitzkid show almost three months earlier. The meeting had been short and sweet but I really didn’t want to explain to the guys how I knew all of them. I hadn’t dreamed that something like this would happen when I’d decided to become more of a “go getter”.  
Jimmy pressed the end button on his phone and tucked it back into his leather jacket.   
“We’re going to the compound. It’ll take a day or two but it’s the safest place we can think of and he’s already talked to Emeritus.” He sat back in the seat, ran his shaking hands through his dark hair, and sighed.   
I had a lump in my throat now. “We’re going to stay with Papa?” I squeaked. He had to be fucking kidding.   
“He and the rest of them have a place in California,” Bobby said with his head back against the seat. I guess Davey saw the look on my face because he furrowed his brow and looked at me questioningly before turning his eyes back to the road. I couldn’t have that conversation with him in the car in front of everyone, I didn’t want to have it at all in fact, so I turned in my seat and just stared as the landscape went by.   
After several hundred miles, where it looked like the dead were few and far between, we stopped to stretch, get gas, and switch drivers. I climbed out of the tall car and headed straight for the bathroom in the convenience store. I didn’t make eye contact with anyone and when I got to the bathroom I locked the door behind myself and leaned my back against it. I did what I needed to do then washed my hands and ran some cold water on my face. When I was done I straightened my back, squared my shoulders, and walked back to the car with my head held high.   
I approached the car to open my passenger door and found that it was locked. The window rolled down and there he was, Goolsby, sitting in my seat.   
“Hey, glad to see you’re safe, I heard this broke out in Austin and I thought of you,” he said with a kind smile. “Jimmy went to ride with Nim. Is this cool?”  
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll climb in the back.”  
I opened the back door and there was Davey in the back seat waiting for me. His legs were spread out and his arm was over the back of the seat to where when I sat he’d automatically have me in his embrace. I tried to put some distance between us but he pulled me in close and kissed me just above the ear.  
“How do you know him?” he asked.   
“We met at a show once,” I said to Davey.   
I felt Goolsby’s eyes burning into me but didn’t talk. I watched the miles roll by and with each one my stomach clenched tighter. I was going to have to talk to Papa, or more accurately, he was going to have to talk to me.   
When we arrived, we found a sprawling single story house surrounded by a tall brick wall. Bobby pulled the SUV up to the entrance and one of the ghouls unchained the electric gate before pressing the button and letting it slide open.  
Nim pulled the red car in behind us. When the private driveway was secure and we were parked at the entrance to one of the four garage doors the nameless ghoul who’s opened the gate joined the others. They were lined up on the driver’s side of the SUV. They stood with their hands clasped in front of them until Jimmy and Goolsby approached them then it was as though they’d been given permission to move. They shook hands and slapped each other on the back. I knew they’d met before, I’d seen the pictures. The ghouls hadn’t seen me yet.  
One of the ghouls broke out of the group of men and headed in my direction. He came to the back of the car and stopped in his tracks when he saw me. I realized it was Alpha and I held my arms out to hug him, so thankful he was okay. He held up one palm to keep me from getting too close. He turned to the end of the car, opened the back door, and reached in to gather a couple bags.   
I stood awkwardly after having been rebuffed so harshly. He leaned far into the back of the car and motioned for me to come over next to him.   
“Hey, how are you?” he asked with a giddy note to his voice.   
“What? You care?” I asked.   
“I couldn’t hug you. It would piss him off, he's been a moody bastard since all this happened. There are cameras all over out here, you know, the security system. Once we’re in the house we can talk.”  
“There are no cameras inside?” I asked.   
He slung the last bag over his shoulder, “Only in the bathrooms.” He winked and we walked into the garage together. The guys had already followed the other ghouls inside.  
We passed a beautiful vintage hearse, went through the butler’s pantry and the kitchen and we ended up in the huge living room. It had a 70’s funeral home vibe. The curtains were heavy burgundy velvet and all the wall molding and the legs of the furniture were dark stained wood. Most of the men sat on the two large couches but Nim stood by the large fireplace looking angry and tired. I dropped down on one end of the empty loveseat.  
We all instinctively knew not to sit in the high backed, black chair placed just to the side of the fireplace and situated for maximum attention to the subject that occupied it.   
“He’ll be in shortly,” Omega said. He was returning to the living room from a large hall that led deeper into the grand house. He faltered slightly when he saw me but kept his good posture and joined the others by sitting on the arm of one of the large couches.   
He glanced at me a couple times throughout the small talk and I could swear by the way his eyes crinkled at the corners that he was smiling at me. I gave him a polite, but knowing smile and didn’t bring it up. I knew I had a lot of explaining to do already but this wasn’t the time to start.   
I nodded at Alpha and patted the open cushion on the loveseat next to me. He clearly saw what I had done but turned his face away from me and straightened up again. I felt shunned but it occurred to me that if his eminence came in and found him so close to me he’d be displeased. Alpha might even be punished. I gave him a knowing and apologetic smile and crossed my arms.   
The rest of the ghouls and the others were joking and laughing until our host appeared at the entrance to the hall. The ghouls stood up and waited until Papa had taken his place in his chair then they took their seats again and relaxed somewhat. I wondered if this is how they always were at home. It was much more formal than their behavior on tour.  
Papa looked everyone over and stared at me for longer than the others. I stared back at him, pointedly. His expression was hard to read and he was staying as neutral as possible.   
“Hello, our guests. I am so pleased you have arrived to us unharmed.”   
His eyes fell on Alpha and he motioned at him to take a seat next to me. Alpha did but retained his guarded air. He made sure our knees didn’t even touch.   
“Our home is completely safe from those… abominations outside. We have some supplies, a garden, but before long we will need to go out for more provisions.”  
They chatted to one another about our travels and how close stores were for us to make a run for more water and food but I focused on Alpha. He and I had been in tight quarters when I’d traveled with the band but, unfortunately, we’d never had enough alone time to do anything and the tension we’d felt on the bus didn’t seem to have faded. I was surprised that other guys didn’t see visible electricity sparking between us.   
Suddenly my name was being called. Davey was trying to get my attention because Emeritus was talking to me.  
“I’m sorry, what?”   
Papa seemed annoyed with me but kept his voice down. “I said we have plenty of room for everyone. Men in the men’s quarters, women in the women’s quarters.”   
I saw Davey and Bobby both look my way but I wasn’t sure if Papa noticed.   
“Oh,” I said, “so there are other women?”   
Papa’s eyes shot in my direction. “There are no other women,” he snapped.   
I wasn’t sure how to take his outburst so I simply didn’t say anything.   
“I know your journey was a long one, so we’ll let you go rest. We’ll work out more of the details tomorrow. Goodnight, gentlemen. Goodnight, Miss.”  
Some of the ghouls walked the brothers and Nim and Goolsby to their sleeping quarters. The way they were chatting a laughing you’d never know there was a zombie outbreak happening. You’d think they were all at a bachelor party. None of them told me good night and I felt left out, almost abandoned.   
Alpha had stayed behind but rose now and motioned for me to follow him. As we reached the hallway I felt him put his hand at the base of my back to gently lead me. I shivered and my heart began to beat faster. The idea of snuggling up to Alpha for a long night of sleep in an actual bed was very tempting, I wasn’t in the mood for sex at the moment, too sore from being cooped up in the car. Papa rose to stop us before we got too far down the hallway.   
“I will take her to her chambers,” he said.  
Alpha nodded and backed off to go down the hall to the left, the men's wing, I assumed. Papa watched him go, made damn sure he was cleared out before turning his attention back to me.   
He moved close enough for me to smell his aftershave. “Il destino e la fortune restituiscono il mio bellissima a me,” he whispered into my ear. I shivered but I was not going to let him back in so quickly.   
“If you think a little Italian sweet talk is going to erase everything we’ve been through, then think again.”  
I hitched my pack farther up on my shoulder and looked at the hall a few feet away to our right.  
“I’m guessing that’s the ladies wing?” I pointed to the hall but he moved in close to me again.   
“I said “Destiny and fortune have returned my beautiful to me.”” He wrapped his hands around my waist and tried to pull me in for a kiss but I pulled away.   
“I’m not your Bellissima anymore.”  
“It was meant to happen, for me to find you again. I am very grateful these -brothers- have brought you to here.”   
“I’m not here for you. I ended up here because I’m fucking them.” My coarse verbiage produced the wince I’d been looking for.   
“Vind is asexual.”   
“Not Nim. Davey and Bobby. I also had a night with Goolsby shortly after you ditched me and cut me off from the tour.”  
His mouth flopped uselessly. A speechless Papa? That was new.  
My voice cracked but I cleared my throat and carried on. I was not going to let him know he’d gotten to me or let him see me cry.  
“Oh, don’t look so shocked. I’m sure you had five women a day on tour. What did you tell me when you kicked me out? “Free pussy like me is a dime a dozen.”? Night.”  
I left him in the hall alone. I was very relieved to find that I had taken the correct turn down the hall to my quarters.   
There was a nicely furnished living area with a double doors to a lush courtyard. The courtyard was surrounded by the house and the only other way out was a set of doors opposite of mine that lead to the men’s living room. Some of them were still up, talking and listening to the radio. Goolsby was by the window looking up at the sky. He noticed me looking at him and held up a hand. I waved back then turned off the light.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> None of the guys want to make a move with the others around.

I felt lonely and slightly scared. I chose the largest bedroom with its king-sized bed and lavish gold molding. There was a fireplace on the wall facing the foot of the bed. It was like sleeping at Versailles. The built-in bookshelves were filled with leather-bound volumes that were probably three times my age or more.  
I put my bag down and sat on the edge of the plush bed to remove my shoes. As tired as I felt, I had to get a shower. In the beautiful marble bathroom, there was soap, toothpaste, and a toothbrush laid out on the vanity.  
I looked at the deep jacuzzi tub and wondered how many women had washed him off of them in there. You could probably get pregnant just sitting in the thing. The large glass-walled, walk-in shower was big enough for at least six people and figured there had to have been more than one orgy in there.  
I looked into my reflection and found myself scowling. The thought passed through my mind that he might have been spying on me. I cupped my hands to my eyes and moved up against the mirror. Nope, it was a real mirror. I sighed with relief and also smiled at myself for thinking he’d really do that.  
I stripped off my clothes and climbed into the large tub. The bubbles and jets eased my aching muscles and I began to feel safe in the compound. Before I knew it I was dozing off in the tub. I stood and wrapped myself in the white plush robe on a hook next to the tub. I ran a comb through my hair.  
Back in my room, I found that someone had lit a roaring fire in the fireplace at the foot of my bed. I climbed beneath the down comforter still wrapped only in the robe and fell asleep to the sound of the crackling fire. 

The next few weeks were spent watching the dead show up around the house walls and dealing with the unfortunate work of picking them off. We had some ammo but soon we’d need more.  
I tried to call David several times but he never answered. I left message after message until the mailbox was full. I had to accept the fact that he was probably dead. I also called Carline. Luckily, she and the kids had made it to her in-laws’ ranch in Nebraska but sadly, her husband had died getting them out of Austin.  
I used the food we had to make the best meals I could for everyone. More often than not Alpha would help me in the kitchen. The tension between us was still palpable but we’d tried to keep it friendly. One day we attempted to fit through the door of the freezer at the same time and ended up facing each other. We laughed it off but I had felt him pressing against my hip.  
One evening we were washing dishes together and I decided to take the plunge.  
“We never did have that talk you mentioned when I arrived,” I said drying a plate and setting at aside.  
His demeanor, so easy and soft only moments before, was transformed. His back went rigid and he cleared his throat.  
“I was warned not to talk to you too much,” he said with an air of sarcasm.  
I nearly dropped the glass I was rubbing. “Emeritus cannot tell you not to talk to me!” I fumed.  
Alpha gave a dry laugh. “First of all, yes, He could tell me that but secondly, it wasn’t him.”  
My jaw dropped open.  
“Your new guys ganged up on me one evening in our living room and let me know that you belong,” his tone conveyed that he found the word distasteful, “to them.”  
“Did you…?”  
“Tell them I was here first?”  
I nodded.  
“No, I’m going to leave that up to you.”  
“Well,” I shrugged. “I DO NOT belong to anyone and I want to talk to you.”  
He looked over at me and his eyes betrayed a smile.  
“I missed you,” he said. 

Back in my quarters that night I felt restless. I was the only woman in a house full of dudes and I hadn’t been touched in weeks. It was beyond frustrating and a girl can only get herself off so much before she wants the real deal. We were in the middle of a fucking apocalypse and I found myself wishing I’d thrown my blue vibrator in my bug out bag before we’d left.  
From the corner of my eye, I saw someone emerge from the guys’ door. It was Davey. I practically jumped off the couch to talk to him.  
“Hey,” I called entering the courtyard.  
“Hi!” he said and came forward to embrace me. I allowed myself to be hugged but didn’t reciprocate how I usually would. He could tell.  
“What’s up?” he asked eyeing me with a mix of suspicion and excitement.  
At first, I couldn’t tell what he was hinting at then I realized. “Oh, God no, I’m not pregnant.”  
He seemed almost disappointed.  
“Well, you know. Can’t get knocked up if you’re not getting down,” I said. Thank God, I thought to myself. I’d never considered myself as a kid person.  
“I know it’s been a while and it’s killing me, but Emeritus has been watching us all like a hawk and I don’t want to do anything that would get me kicked out of here. Where else would I go, you know?” There was a long pause between us.  
“I heard that you cornered Alpha and I told him not to talk to me,” I said with a stern look.  
Davey blushed. “Yeah, I didn’t realize you guys already knew each other. Sorry, I just found out.”  
It felt like the cold knot I’d been holding in my stomach loosened. I swallowed. “Who told you?”  
He gave a little smile. “Omega.” Davey shrugged. “I know I’m not the only guy you’ve ever been with and I know I probably won’t be the last but I have to say, I’m glad I’m in there somewhere.” He placed his hands on my ass and pulled me forward against him.  
“I want you so bad.” He buried his face in my hair and nibbled at my neck.  
All the arousal I’d been holding in the past days bubbled to the surface and I rubbed myself intently against him.  
“Yes,” I whimpered through clenched teeth. I dug my fingers into the shoulders of his leather jacket but we parted swiftly when we heard the guys’ door slide open.  
Nim noticed that we were standing very close to each other but he’d already lit his cigarette and it was too late to turn around and go back into the house now. He took a seat on one of the concrete benches in the middle of the courtyard and attempted to look anywhere but at us, pretending to be polite.  
“Uh, I should get back in,” Davey said casually. I nodded and he turned way too quickly to get back to his living room. I felt like he couldn’t have disappeared faster. Once he was back inside I sat down next to Nim and sighed.  
“I totally fuckin’ know,” he said and reached into his black shirt pocket and handed me the pack of cigarettes without looking at me. I dropped one out and lit it. The inhale was rough and I coughed.  
Nim smiled at nothing and flicked an ash from the end of his cigarette. “Little uh… dry for you there, Deary?” he snickered.  
“No need to be a bitch.”  
He laughed. “I’m in the same boat.”  
I looked at him, curious. “I thought you were A?” I said.  
He shook his head taking a drag then blew it out before he answered. “No, I’m not asexual. That myth got started somewhere in middle America when I wouldn’t fuck around with an underage chick.”  
“Oh, sorry.”  
“It’s fine. I am actually, a little... different in that particular area.” He paused and looked up at the sky through the trees. “I like to eat.”  
I cocked my head. “Yeah, that’s what does it for you?”  
He nodded. “I like going down on guys, girls, trans, queer, I love it. I don’t even have to touch myself, it just…” he made a hand motion like a rocket, “goes.” He gave a giddy laugh. “I like feet too.”  
“Nice," I said.  
He shrugged. “You want to know what Goolsby likes?”  
I leaned in, ready for some big secret.  
“You,” he whispered into my ear then sat back laughing at his own joke but I glared at him through squinted eyes.  
“I didn’t think he was interested.”  
“Oh, yes,” he smashed his cigarette out and placed it neatly on the bench beside him. “He hasn’t quit talking about how amazing you were the night you two were together since we got here. Well, to me at least. He figured you were with the brothers so he kept quiet. He didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.” Nim got up to leave.  
“Can you tell him there are no toes to step on? I’m a free agent.”  
He gave half a smile. “I’ll pass that along and remember, if you ever just want to relax or need help falling asleep…” he wiggled his tongue at me. I blushed but nodded. He left me with a wave and disappeared back into the guys’ living room.  
I stood up and stretched before returning to my own area. I thought about leaving the door unlocked in case I had any suitors come calling but decided against it. No matter how safe the enclosed courtyard seemed, we were still in a fucking zombie apocalypse and I’d rather be lonely than dead. I dragged myself to the bedroom to change into my pajamas and began to wish I’d taken Nim up on his offer. A quick get off and a deep sleep sounded incredible.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visitors in the night.

My head was barely on the pillow when I heard knocking on the glass door in my living room. I sat up and listened again. It was definitely human with its rhythmic pattern. I got out of bed and peeked from the bedroom door. It was Gools.   
I rushed to let him in and shut the door quickly but quietly behind him, relatching it. When I turned back to him he grabbed my face and kissed me deeply. He was breathing hard and spoke in between kisses.  
“Vind, he told me, that you are, happy to see me too.”   
I laughed at his enthusiasm and kissed him back. He put his forehead against mine and I rubbed his forearms.   
“I didn’t know what to the think when you showed up.”  
“I was thinking ‘Holy shit, it’s the only woman who’s made me cum twice in under an hour.’.” He let go of my face and picked me up to carry me to the bedroom.   
“What are you doing?” I asked laughing.   
He set me down at the end of the bed and went directly to my fireplace. He had a roaring fire going in less two minutes. He turned back to me and approached me with heavy eyelids.   
“It was you?” I asked my heart beating faster.  
He nodded. “I didn’t want you to be cold in here all alone.”   
Goolsby was gentle when he took my face in his hands this time. I closed my eyes to fully enjoy the feeling of his lips on mine. It gave me a shiver. I had the sudden urge to be naked with him, pressed together. I unbuttoned my pajama top and slipped it from my shoulders and we parted mouths just long enough for him to lift his t-shirt up over his head.   
He wrapped his tattooed arms around my back and pulled me in close. My breasts pressed against his chest and I released a deep sigh with the connection. It was like putting out one flame and lighting another. I ran my fingers up and down his bare back. His skin felt warm from the fire and I lay my head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head and whispered to me. “Holding you feels incredible.”  
I pulled back a little to look into his eyes and kiss his lips again then I wriggled out of his arms and sat on the bed. It was tall and covered with thick, soft blankets so I almost had to hop up but once I was up there I lay back on my elbows and let him see my half undressed form. He ran his fingers around my belly and up to circle my breasts but never touched my nipples. The anticipation made them feel even more sensitive.   
“Much better than a van, huh?” he asked. We smiled.  
I led his hands to the waistband of my pajama bottoms and when he had a hold I moved farther up the bed, sliding out of them as I went. When I reached the pillows, I was naked and I stretched out in front of him.   
He reached for his belt and unbuttoned his jeans letting them slide down his hip bones before climbing up next to me on the bed. I kissed him and his body reacted as I hoped it would. He rubbed his hard dick against my leg and draped his top knee over me to get closer. He pulled the covers up over us and we just kissed for what felt like forever. My hands tickled his back and his lower belly but never touched his cock. I wanted everything to be extra sensitive when we finally connected.   
He sucked at my throat, I knew this would leave evidence but it felt so good that I just couldn’t stop him. I rolled over and made him sit up. I scooted up into his lap and spit in my hand, rubbing his dick with it. Before I let him in I just rubbed my slit up and down the length of his shaft. It tickled but I didn’t want to stop.   
He stared right into my eyes as he reached down and put himself into me. Then he hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. I wrapped my arms around him and held on. Our movements were small but very effective. I felt him pulsing and throbbing as he rubbed inside me. My clit was hitting his pubic bone and I wrapped my legs around him tighter. He kissed my neck as we rocked back and forth.   
He tugged my hair to get me to look him in the face. I kissed him gently and we slowed down a little. I felt him get thicker quickly and knew it wasn’t going to be long before he let go.   
“How do I feel?” I asked.   
“Ungh, so good,” he managed. “Even better than I remember.”   
He pushed me back a little to lick and suck and nibble at my chest. That was what sent me over the edge. I was a little embarrassed by how strong I came but I bounced in his lap until I had to tense up. Apparently, he didn’t notice because at that same moment he leaned back still holding my hips, his mouth agape, and came into me. He shivered and I watched him bite his lip. He was breathing hard and rubbing my thighs as he lay on his back, looking up at me.   
I stroked his long dark hair and ran the back of my fingers over his smooth cheek. He handed me his shirt like a gentleman and let me clean up first. When we were dry he pulled the blanket up over us and brought me close to him, both of us still nude. He ran his fingers over my arm and goosebumps popped up on my sensitive skin.   
“You wanna go again?” I said stroking my fingers over the fine hair on his lower belly beneath the thick blanket. He blew out a breath and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. We both smiled knowing there was no way after what we’d done. He gave me one more sweet kiss and held me tightly in his arms as I drifted off.

I heard the door to my room open and close. I figured it was Goolsby leaving for the night but then I felt someone get into the bed next to me. I opened my eyes but it was dark, the fire was out, and I was facing away from whoever had climbed into the bed with me. I began to drift again, staying still in warm blankets in a dark room will do that to you, when the bed began to shake rhythmically. It wasn’t much but it was enough to bring me back to being fully awake. I smiled then because I realized what was happening.   
“Oh, you’re gonna take me up on that second round, huh?” I rolled over laughing but I didn’t find Goolsby there on the bed, I found Papa. His hand quit moving beneath the covers.  
I was surprised and automatically covered myself with the sheet. He laughed lightly but seemed to understand why I reacted that way.   
“What did you do with him?” I asked.  
“Him who, precious one?” His tone was playful but I wasn’t in the mood. “There was no one here when I arrived.”   
“I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, Alpha told me that every inch of this place is wired outside. I wouldn’t doubt it if you have a camera in every room here.”  
“Only the bathrooms,” he said.   
I rolled my eyes at the second telling of the joke. They must use that one on women a lot.  
“I wasn’t the one who decided to come here,” I reminded him firmly.  
His eyes got dark. “You seem to be cumming everywhere nowadays.”   
I reached out to slap him but he grabbed my wrist. I struggled to pull away but he had quite a grip on me. The sheet began to slip down as I worked to get my hand back and find traction on the soft bed.   
“Stop it,” he growled.   
“Let me go!” I snapped. “It’s what you’re good at.”   
He softened his grip on me for just a moment but then came back double time by grabbing my other wrist and pinning me down on the bed. He was up on his knees now and his black robe barely came open. I could see that he wasn’t wearing anything beneath it. He was hard and inches away from my body. I was half frightened and half aroused, hoping he’d do what he hadn’t done when we’d been together on the tour.  
“You don’t know what you’re saying. I think you need to be punished.” He leaned down and kissed me roughly but I tried to move away. He didn’t let that stop him and trailed his kisses and soft bites down to my neck when he saw that I wasn’t giving up. I kept scooting back from him but he lowered his mouth to my chest and bit me hard.   
“Ow!” I cried. He stopped with his mouth hanging open and his face only inches from mine.   
“I’m sorry…” He let go of me and held his hands open towards me as if just realizing what he was doing.   
“I…” He pulled his robe closed and looked around. “I never meant to hurt you. I would never purposefully hurt you.”   
He was off the bed and out the door before I could call out to him. I knew that he didn’t intend to bite me so hard and it shook me to the core to see how frightened he’d been when he saw that he’d caused actual, unwanted pain.   
I looked down at my skin and found a small red circle. He hadn’t drawn blood but it looked like it might bruise. I wrapped the sheet and the down comforter around me tightly and tossed and turned until the sun shone through my windows.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A "meeting" with Papa and a talk with Alpha.

The next morning the house was a flurry of activity. The guys were all packing gear and checking weapons. It was time to make a run out of the house for supplies. I watched everyone going back and forth from the garage with their guns and bags and melee weapons, loading them into the cars.   
“What should I bring?” I asked Alpha as he passed by me on one of the trips.   
“Emeritus said you’re not going,” he told me quietly. He was gone in a flash, avoiding my wrath no doubt, and I was fuming.   
I moved with purpose through the living room, down the hall to the door at the very end. It was heavy carved wood and I knew it was the entrance to his quarters. I knew that I should knock, I knew that he had rules, but I was so angry with what he’d done the night before, and what he’d told the others, and now ordering me to stay home when I could be useful. I’d had enough.  
I burst through the door and slammed it behind myself. I charged through his sitting room filled with books and through his steamy bathroom and found him getting dressed in his large closet. He stood there tucking in his shirt as though he wasn’t surprised to find me barging into his private area.   
“Good morning, Bellissima.”  
“Don’t Bellissima, me. Why am I staying here when the rest of the group is going out to gather things that we need? You don’t own me, Emeritus!”  
He held up his hands to stop me and nodded as if he completely agreed with me. “You are the only woman here. It stands to reason that we need you to help… carry on if we lose people. We don’t know how long this could last or how much of the population will die.”  
“I’m staying because I’m a woman?” I asked flatly. I felt sick. “So if they all die and it’s just you and me then what?” I moved close to him watching his Adam’s apple bob when I got inches from his face.   
“I wouldn’t let you cum in me if we were the last two people on Earth,” I said quietly.  
It felt strange, being so mean but deep down I felt like he deserved it. He moved very slowly in towards me and licked my lips. I jumped back but he moved around me so that his body was between me and the only door in the closet. My heart began beating faster and I didn’t know what to do. He was closing in on me.  
“What are you doing?” I asked. I was taking small steps backward but I didn’t have much space, I could already feel his clothes hanging behind me and I knew I couldn’t get past him and out the door before he grabbed me.  
“I’m doing what I should have done the moment you walked into my home.” He reached a hand out and ran his fingers down my cheek to my neck. He tucked them into my t-shirt and pulled. The cotton fabric ripped easily in his fingers. I hadn’t worn a bra.   
I tried to cover my breasts with my arms but he pushed them away. I was barefoot in only a pair of black pants.   
“I am doing what I should have done before I told you to leave the tour.” He wrestled against me to unbutton and unzip my pants. Despite my hesitations, I thought back on the tour and the bus and the plush rooms we’d stayed in.  
“What? Kill me?” I snarked.   
He dropped his hands and looked at me incredulously.   
“Why do you think these things of me? Do you really think I’d hurt you?” he ran a finger across my bare belly and I felt stirrings that I’d promised myself I’d forget. I grabbed his hand and brought it to the bruise he’d caused on my chest.   
“You did this to me.”   
He lowered his eyes to my skin and leaned in, kissing the purple spot gently.  
“I am truly sorry, Bellissima. I was too rough with you. I… missed seeing you that way. Naked, wrapped in the sheets next to me. I got too excited.” He met my eyes. “Will you forgive me?”   
I nodded and wanted to look away from his mismatched eyes but he had me. I was trying with everything I had but that was it. He had me. When his lips touched mine my stomach dropped and I let out a small moan. My hands came to a rest on his upper back pulling him closer to me.   
“I missed you, too, you bastard,” I said as he sucked my neck in the same spot Goolsby had. Asserting dominance, no doubt. I felt him chuckle against my skin.  
This time when he reached for the button on my pants I let him undo it. He had been doing up his own trousers when I’d come in so I simply ran my fingers in the waistband and they fell to the floor. His half-buttoned shirt pulled open and I tugged at his black boxer briefs. He stopped me and got down on his knees on the carpet in front of me. In one smooth motion, he pulled my right leg up over his shoulder and buried his face in my pussy. He held me up with one hand while his other kneaded my breasts. I was so wet I felt myself covering his face.   
He buried his tongue in me and I recalled the first time he’d gone down on me. He had taken his time and made me come twice. He hummed a little as he licked and sucked and the vibrations tickled. I let out a surprised giggle. When he heard that he released my leg and stood up, face to face with me once more. I felt his cock straining against my lower belly and wanted him inside of me badly.   
“My beautiful. I long to make love to you…”  
Before he even finished his sentence I was moving my hips toward his and anticipating the connection. Of all the things we’d done in the time we’d been together, we’d never had full on sex. The way he moved and how passionate he was about everything in his life, I knew it would be an amazing ride.   
“But I can not take you here,” he added.  
My heart sank and I almost wanted to cry. Always with his back and forth! I thought about begging him to fuck me. I hungered to push him back on plush carpet of the closet and climb on top of him. I saw that he wasn’t having any problems with staying hard, it seemed that he was about to tear through his black underwear, why was he avoiding fucking me? I reached down and took hold of him through the thin cotton fabric.   
“Are you sure?” I whispered to him. I wanted to at least try to persuade him. “Everyone else is going to be gone. It’ll just be us.”   
He sighed and let me rub him for a moment, then he opened his eyes and looked right into mine. “When the time is right I am going to have you. I am going to give you what you have wanted for so long.”  
“Why? Why are you making me wait?” I sounded whinier than I meant to. “It’s just sex.”  
He gave a chuckle. “I want to have them all there, together to watch me take you for the first time.”   
I felt my face get hot. “The ghouls?”  
“ALL of the men in your life. I want them to know that you are mine.”  
I stared at him and I didn’t know if that was a good idea. I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off.  
“I will not forbid you to be with them too. I can not tell you that your body belongs to me no matter how much I long to. I will tell you that I have not been with another woman since we parted ways. Angela spent the rest of the tour angry with me that I would not fuck her. She returned to Austin and I do not know what has become of her.”   
That answered one of my questions and it shocked the hell out of me. I wondered if he was lying but I decided to trust. He planted a soft kiss on my mouth bringing me back to the present.   
“I know he was with you last night…” he said.  
He pulled my hand down to my panties and stuck it in. I knew what he wanted and I began rubbing myself. He reached down and began slowly stroking his cock.   
“I would not mind seeing the two of you together. I’m sure he fucked you. Did he take you from behind?”  
I shook my head and bit my lip. Hearing him talk about Goolsby and knowing he liked the idea of us together made me crazy. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all to have all of them together in one place.   
“I sat on his lap and he wrapped his arms around me.”  
His hips bucked forward and he rubbed faster. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I came.   
“Did he pull you close? I bet you scratched that large tattoo on his back. I would love to see him fucking you. I want to see you both cum.”  
With that, my legs shook and nearly buckled as I orgasmed hard. Papa came as well and by the time we were done we were holding one another up. He laughed and kissed me.   
“Oh, the things you do to me, Bellissima...and the things I want to do to you.”  
He handed me a black robe to get back to my room and get some clean clothing. I padded down the hall desperate to get back to my own room without anyone seeing me or my outfit. I got into my bathroom and leaned against the closed door. Across the way, I could see my reflection in the large vanity mirror. My chest was still heaving and my thighs were tired. I wanted to think more about the meet up he had talked about but there wasn’t time.

In the end, we all came together and decided that three of the ghouls should scout first and see how bad the hoards had become since they'd last gone out. They knew the area and would easily be able to get back to the house if they became separated from one another. If they were too far out for that, they could stay in a convenience store they'd turned into a safe house in the nearest town. once they'd taken a look, a few more of us could go out on a supply run farther out.  
The brothers and Omega went out into the large garden and worked on weeding and harvesting the crops.   
Alpha and I spent some time looking through cookbooks and seeing what we could make with what we had on hand in case the others weren’t able to return with much more food. We were leaning on the kitchen island when Goolsby and Nim came in with an ax and a pistol respectively.   
My ass was sticking out the way I was leaning on the countertop and Goolsby intentionally scooted close behind me to pass on his way to the back door. I tried not to blush but Alpha caught the move and stood up straight to glare at Goolsby.   
“I know that you’re Emeritus’ lap dog but stand down,” Gools said to him.   
I looked up at Alpha and shook my head nearly imperceptibly. I mouthed the word “Please” at him with pleading eyes and he settled back down next to me looking at the books full of dinner ideas and beautifully designed pictures of the recipes. Gools winked at me and he and Nim headed out the front door.   
“Why?” Alpha asked me.   
“What do you mean?” I asked as innocently as possible. I truly wasn’t sure what he meant but I could take a guess. Why did I have to be with them? Why did I feel the need to give myself to whomever? I wasn’t like that before I went on tour with the band and I think Alpha knew that.   
“What happened?” he asked.  
I looked around the room as if the answer was going to pop up from the sink or behind the fridge.   
“I don’t know, I became used to the passion? Maybe I wanted to be in control when he just dropped me on the side of the road to head home and fend for myself. Maybe after being around all of you so long I felt really lonely and I wanted some companionship.”  
Alpha shook his head slightly but said nothing.   
“What?”  
“All those times we were together. I felt it. Didn’t you feel it? I know there was something between us.”  
I didn’t want to answer because I did know exactly what he was referring to. I thought back to the Halloween in New York. I just nodded then I stood and left the kitchen.   
In my room, I took a book down from the shelf and looked through it. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. A classic. You would think that in a world full of the walking dead, I’d have no other problems. I did like Alpha. In the beginning, I had liked him more than Emeritus. I wondered if he would be included in the ritual or if he would have the choice to bow out.   
I thought about inviting Alpha to my room that night but before I got the chance I got my period.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A disagreement over the upcoming ritual.

Two weeks later, on a day that began just like any other, I emerged from my bathroom wrapped in a plush white robe, drying my hair with my towel. I noticed there was an envelope on my nightstand and my guard went up immediately. I looked all around the room but found no one. I stopped short only of getting down on my knees and looking beneath the bed.   
I picked up the rustic cream colored envelope and turned it over to find a heavy wax seal holding it closed. The black wax was embossed with an upside down cross, the Grucifix, Emeritus’ signature. It was identical to the dinner invitation Angie had delivered to me on the tour.  
I held this envelope in my hands and turned it over and over before I decided to open it. I had a feeling I knew what would be inside but it was even more anxiety-inducing that I’d thought. First, there was a letter, folded, then there was an embossed invitation. The invitation read:

Your presence is requested at the joining ritual of  
Papa Emeritus III  
And   
The lady of the house.   
You are not required to attend and the lady is, as always,  
allowed to court who she chooses.   
Tomorrow at dusk. 

My heart broke into a gallop in my chest. Tomorrow at dusk? That was both so soon and seemed like forever away. Would anyone else want to come and watch this ritual he’d invited them to? Would they find this odd and uncomfortable or feel glad they were invited and included? I slid the invite back into its envelope and unfolded the letter.

Bellissima,  
I have enclosed a copy of the invitation I wish to share with the others. If you approve I will give them out posthaste. If not, I will make the necessary changes and see to it that everyone gets one.   
I very much look forward to our event tomorrow night and hope that you are equally as enthused.   
Please come to my chambers and let me know what you think of the proposed invitation.   
PE III

I thought the invite itself was beautiful. My only wish was that we could just be together without all the show. All I wanted was him.  
I went back into the bathroom to finish drying off and get dressed. Once I was ready for the day I gathered the papers and walked down the hall to Emeritus’ suite.   
Since I wasn’t busting in in anger this time I actually debated whether or not I should knock and wait for him to answer. I did knock but didn’t wait to hear him answer. If this man wanted to invade me in the most personal way possible, then I should be able to go into his room when I pleased.   
He was sitting in his high backed leather chair next to his fireplace, reading and enjoying a cup of tea.  
“Ah, my lovely…” he said spotting me out of the corner of his eye. He saw the invitation in my hand and nodded toward it. “What do you think?”   
I shrugged but saw immediately that this was not the answer he’d expected or wanted.   
“What? What’s wrong with it?” His voice was quick and low now. It almost sounded like he was grinding his teeth. My insides went cold.   
“There is nothing wrong with it -at all- it’s beautiful.”  
He still stared at me and I swallowed in an attempt to make my fear disappear.  
“Um. It’s just that, I don’t understand why it can’t just be us.” I shifted from foot to foot while his eyes burned a hole into me.  
“The ritual part… I just don’t know about everyone watching.”  
He turned away from me to look into his fireplace. The grey stone around it appeared to be alive as the flames cast dancing shadows upon it. He seemed deep in thought for several seconds, rubbing his thumb against the side of his gloved index finger.   
After what seemed like an eternity he closed his book slowly, sat it next to his tea on the end table, and folded his hands in his lap.  
“You are worried about the audience. You don’t want these men to see how much you enjoy me? You don’t want to hurt their feelings?” He sneered the last sentence and his hurt showed.   
I sighed and looked down at the invitation in my hands.   
“That’s not it. They know that I traveled with you. They’re friends with benefits but their feeling aren’t what’s at stake here. Mine are.”  
He looked away from the fire and stood up, approaching me. “I want them to know we are together. I want them to see how I make you feel, I want them all to see how you lose control with me.”  
I pursed my lips now in an attempt to keep from yelling at him.   
“So, your male ego is more important to you, your show of domination more valuable, than just making love to me?”  
I saw his eyes soften. “I want what is left of this dead world to know it’s us. That I’m yours. You and me.”  
I leaned forward, taking his face in my hands and kissed him softly. I let go and turned from him, escaping his reaching hands, moving for the door.   
“Fuck the world,” I whispered and left him standing in his study, by his fire, alone.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alpha needs to relax and Rayna gets on board for the ritual after a revelation from Papa.

Alpha met me at the usual time to make dinner but he seemed more withdrawn than usual.  
“Are you still upset with me?” I asked quietly as we rolled out pasta dough.  
“A little, I guess.”  
I stopped and watched him cutting noodles and salting the water waiting to boil.  
“Can we talk about it?”  
He shook his head no.  
“What did I do?” I asked. Across from me the tomato sauce had started to bubble and pop and was in danger of spilling over the side of the copper pan. I rushed to turn the fire off beneath it and used a dishtowel to push it to another burner.  
“Why are you upset with me, Alpha?” I repeated.  
He reached into his pocket and handed me the invitation from earlier.  
“Oh, yeah, this. Where did you find this?” I removed the heavy cardstock from the envelope and looked it over as I spoke.  
“It’s a mock-up he gave me to see if I liked it…” I was only half paying attention as I read it but I noticed the date was different from the one he’d given me earlier. It was dated for that evening instead of the next.  
“I didn’t know about this. This isn’t what he gave me earlier, I would have warned you.”  
Alpha ignored me.  
“I really didn’t know he was going to do this tonight,” I insisted.  
He continued to drop the pasta into the water wordlessly. I changed my tactic.  
I moved up behind him slowly. I rubbed his shoulders and noticed that despite being so tense he began to unwind beneath my hands.  
“Are you going to attend the ritual?” I whispered near his ear. I slid my hands from his back around to his chest and belly pulling my body close against his from behind. I peppered small kisses on his black-clad shoulders. I felt him relax even more.  
He was still silent so I slid my hands as slowly as I could stand, down to his black slacks. Not in the front, but at his hips, pressing myself into him and grinding against his ass.  
“He said it’s not exclusive. You and I could still…”  
I didn’t even get to finish before he surprised me by reaching down to take my right hand. My heart sank, I just knew he was going to push me away but in a surprising move he placed my hand right on top of his hard cock over his pants. He wrapped my fingers around him and held his hand over mine rubbing gently back and forth. His strokes became slightly faster and his grip tightened.  
The door to the dining room opened with a bang and Omega stuck his head in. “He wants to know what’s taking so long.”  
“It’ll be…” Alpha’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat deeply and tried again. “It’ll be about ten minutes.”  
Omega nodded and left the door to swing closed behind him.  
“You don’t have to…” Alpha whispered.  
“I know,” I said with one hand on his dick and the other on his belly pulling us closer together. “I really want to. I like you Alpha, I always have.”  
He didn’t speak anymore, but his breathing became heavier and more gravelly in his throat as I moved my hand quickly over him.  
He held the counter tight and his legs began to shake. Soon his hips bucked and he let out a groan. I shushed him but kept going. Omega hadn’t seen me touching Alpha behind the counter but the situation was obvious as he thrusted and shivered to his peak and if anyone walked in at that moment I knew we would be found out.  
I didn’t quit, I kept the same pressure but as he calmed I slowed down slightly. He shook and I reached up to pull his high collar down to kiss his neck. He sighed and held my other hand to his chest as I nuzzled him.  
“Hmm,” he sighed. “I need a nap now.”  
“That’d be so nice.” I imagined lying in Emeritus’ huge bed with the double doors to his private courtyard open, afternoon sun falling on us. Alpha on one side, Papa on the other and me in the middle between them. Now I shivered.  
“I think you just need to relax. You’re all wound up,” I told him.  
“Yeah, no kidding.” He adjusted his dick and I could hear the smile in his voice. 

 

Once dinner was served the guys talked about everything as usual. Music, killing zombies, travel, what we’d need on the next run, hell, the talk even turned to comic books for a while. Everything but what would be happening once our meal was over.  
My nerves were killing me and I didn’t eat much. At the end of the meal Alpha and Omega brought out coffee and dessert and that was when Emeritus stood, demanding their attention.  
“Gentlemen, lovely lady, as you know tonight we will be having a special ritual in the ballroom. It is set up for both comfort and... viewing pleasure. Wear what you like if you wish to attend but I can tell you that the lady loves a man in dress attire.”  
He winked at me and I blushed but my stomach turned. They looked at each other then at me and I could have strangled Emeritus.  
“The Bellissima and I have yet to consummate our relationship and we are to do so tonight. It is a joyous and sacred occasion. Salute.”  
Most of the guys looked pretty excited and raised their glasses happily but I barely lifted mine then swallowed all of my wine in one gulp. I was going to reach for the decanter again but Emeritus stopped me.  
“Do not overindulge. I want you to enjoy it,” he whispered. I put my hands in my lap and waited for dessert to be over.  
Nim helped me clear the table and wash the dishes. I had asked him since I knew Alpha probably needed a shower and a new pair of pants. He was glad to help.  
“I don’t think he’d like you smoking in here," I said.  
Nim ashed into the dishwater and laughed. “I am the least of that man’s problems,” he replied.  
“What do you mean?” I asked drying a large platter and placing it into the cabinet.  
“There are fuckin’ dead people wandering everywhere, we’re going to have to go on a run soon, and he’s in here throwing a big party where he plans to fuck you in front of a bunch of other dudes… who you are also fucking? That’s some messed up focus.”  
I rolled my eyes. “I know. I don’t get why he has to do it this way. Some macho bullshit.”  
I swallowed and tried to act cool but my voice squeaked when I spoke. “Are you coming tonight?”  
“I hope so,” he said winking at me. “Oh, you meant am I attending? Hell yeah, we all are.”  
My stomach fell onto the floor. “Everyone?”  
He nodded and took a deep drag on his cigarette then handed me the sauce pot to dry.  
“Oh, yeah. There has been some playing around in the men’s quarters that you haven’t been told about but I think they’re excited to get it out in the open,” He said.  
I didn’t really care and figured I’d find out soon enough anyway. It stung a little but I was hardly chaste so what could I honestly be upset about? Nim handed me the last plate and reached into the sink for the drain. He dropped his butt into the swirling water and blew out a cloud of smoke.  
“Well, we have less than two hours, you’d better get ready. I can’t wait to see it all.” Nim kissed me on the cheek and flitted from the kitchen leaving me alone with my nerves and thoughts. 

Instead of going to my own room, I went to Papa’s door and I let myself in without knocking. I found him in the steamy bathroom. He was in his black robe combing his hair.  
“If you know how I feel about this then why did you move it up?” I asked keeping my voice calm.  
He stopped combing and trained that white eye on me like he had the first night of the tour, it still made me shiver.  
“I didn’t want you to get cold feet,” he said and turned to me, crossing his arms, leaning against the counter. “If you want this, this is how it will happen.” His voice was stern. “I am giving you all of myself, Bellisima, and you are still concerned with all the other men?” He slammed the comb down on his vanity and I jumped.  
“I offered to give you all of myself months ago,” I reminded him “and you didn’t want me!” I approached him and we squared off. “Instead of being open to me and taking me for who I am I found you fucking that bitch on the night you invited me to your room!”  
It was painful remembering that night. He’d been such a gentleman before, at least occasionally. He did things like opening doors for me and taking me out to dinner at a very nice place. Then one night he invited me to his room and when I knocked he answered enthusiastically for me to enter.  
When I’d opened the door I’d found him on his back with the other dancer he’d hired riding him reverse cowgirl. She’d smiled at me with a shit-eating grin.  
“You told me to hop on as you pointed to your face!” I yelled. “Did you just forget that… or what?”  
“I was wrong, okay?” he screamed. “I was nervous to make love to you and I acted out, I was fucking wrong!” He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath but his words were still frenetic and frustrated. “I don’t do crushes and I don’t do -love- but fucking can mean nothing.” He hit the index fingers of both hands against his sternum hard, pointing to his heart. “It’s a release, it’s primal.”  
“So that was all you called me there for that night?”  
“No!” He slowed his breathing and brought his voice closer to normal. “When I got to my room and realized what I had done, inviting you up...I panicked. What if it was not all you had thought it would be? What if I... ruined it somehow? I called her in because I panicked.”  
He looked into my eyes. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.”  
Those words tore at my heart.  
“I want to have everyone see us because I feel different this time. I fucking feel different with you. She was like all of the others, there were no feelings.”  
I opened my mouth to fight some more but stopped when the enormity of what he was telling me hit me. “You’re still scared,” I said.  
“Not scared, a little nervous but dedicated to this.” He moved to sit on the edge of the deep tub. “This is important to me. YOU are important to me. I want everyone to see how much I care for you above all other women.”  
He was right, he really didn’t do love or crushes or vulnerability. He always wanted the upper hand and the power in every relationship. This was new territory for him. We sat in silence for a moment.  
“Okay,” I said, “I’ll be there.” I stepped out of the room and shut the door quietly behind me. I only had about an hour to get presentable for him.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ritual.

Back in my room I found a small box on the bed. There was one white rose on top and a card with his wax seal rested atop that. I smelled the rose and felt shitty about our fight. I put the rose on my nightstand and opened the card.   
Bellissima,   
As I present myself to you tonight I also present you with this gift. I admit it is selfish, as it is just as much for me as it is for you, but I think you will adore it just as much as I do. I cannot wait for our union.   
All my life,   
PEIII

After slipping the card carefully back into its envelope I tugged the white ribbon on the box and pulled the lid up. I gently folded back the black tissue paper and found a bra and panties. The silk was deep turquoise, my favorite color. I had to smile at the fact that he’d remembered something so small.   
I took the lingerie into the bathroom with me and placed it on the chaise lounge for when I got out of the shower. I shaved, scrubbed, washed, and rinsed everything. I curled, plucked, lotioned, and powdered. I was ready physically but mentally I was still nervous.

I ran into Goolsby in the hall when I came out of my living area and he looked nice. He had a long tail coat and pinstriped pants. His hair was combed back.  
“You look beautiful,” he said to me with a twinge of bittersweet longing in his voice.   
“Thank you.” I looked down at my white lace dress then motioned to his outfit, “You look very handsome.”   
He blushed and gave me a quick peck. He offered his arm and escorted me down the hall to the door of the grand ballroom. Alpha and Omega opened the doors for us. I stopped to hug Omega and I took Alpha’s hand before I entered the room. He and Gools walked me all the way to the front where there was a small couch to the left of the altar. There were seats but they were farther back in the audience. The main seating was on four beds angled toward the altar on either side of the aisle.  
Jimmy and Davey sat on one, chatting and laughing. I caught Davey’s eye once and he smiled brightly at me. Nim, Bobby, and Water sat on the bed across the aisle from them. Earth, Wind, and Omega took another and the last one was taken by Goolsby and Alpha once they’d let go of me and kissed me on the cheeks.   
I sat on the small couch and folded my hands in my lap. I saw that the ritual bed was on the opposite side of the pulpit and my stomach jumped again. I looked out over the crowd and instead of any anger or jealousy, I felt only joy from them. They were all smiles. An orchestral version of He Is played softly from the speakers mounted up near the high ceiling.   
I am not sure how long we all waited but the guys looked happy in the audience. I saw that Nim was getting pretty animated with Bobby and Water. Before I knew it Bobby had his boots off and Nim was massaging his feet. Maybe this would work out after all. I did notice that Alpha and Goolsby kept their distance and didn’t talk to each other.  
“My fellow survivors!” Papa’s voice rang out, authoritative, and filled the room. I hadn’t even seen him appear but I felt all shaken up again.   
He looked particularly handsome in his black and purple robes with his miter on. “We are here to celebrate joining. Our joining,” he motioned to me. “Your joinings in any grouping you choose,” he motioned to the crowd. “We are here to celebrate life, that we are still living… and loving… one another beyond all chance. Please, enjoy yourselves. Do not be shy. I only ask that you do not approach the altar until the main ritual has concluded.” He turned off the microphone and looked over to where I sat. I heard whoops and clapping from the men in the audience but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Papa to see who it was.   
He sucked air in through tight lips and removed his hat. He pulled his vestment up over his head and hung it up before joining me on the couch. I knew there was movement in the audience but he was all I could see. He wore a black suit with a white vest and tie. He had worn the black leather gloves that I enjoyed so much.   
He sat next to me on the loveseat and when he took my hand in his, he was shaking slightly. “Hello, beautiful,” he whispered in my ear then he kissed me on the cheek. “You are so gorgeous tonight.”  
“Thank you. You look very handsome. I love that you wore these,” I held his hand up and kissed it. “You know that I love how thick they feel when you finger me with them.” I bit my lip and looked up at him innocently.   
He smiled and leaned in to nuzzle my neck. “I was a little worried about getting hard for you with this being such a big night but,” he moved my hand to his lap and I felt him throbbing already, filling with blood quickly, “no problem here.”  
I massaged his thighs and kissed his painted mouth. His lips parted to taste me and I felt his hand rise to cup my breast. I was feeling very ready despite the onlookers. I could hear them and I knew they were enjoying themselves but I wasn’t worried about what they thought of me or him.   
Our kisses became deeper and he pulled me closer. He put his gloved hand on my smooth thigh and slid it beneath my white dress. He reached the turquoise panties quickly and began to rub soft circles above my clit. I pulled back from his mouth to gasp and hold steady to his arm.   
“Oh my God,” I gasped.   
“It is not God, Bellissima,” He scooted off the couch and onto his knees in front of me. I lifted my ass so he could pull the beautiful panties off my hips. He tossed them aside and buried his face between my legs, lapping, and sucking.   
He brought my legs up over his shoulders and I was careful not to scratch his back with my high heels. I ran my fingers through his hair and he looked up at me with his mismatched eyes. He hummed a few bars and I pushed him away.  
“I can’t do that anymore,” I cooed. He released my legs and I sat up to hug him while he was still on his knees. I kissed him again and I tasted my slick juices on his lips. He stood up and took my hand leading me to the bed. He was trying to get me to sit down but I wanted to have some control so I stopped him and lifted his arms out to the sides. He stayed just as I had placed him. I began with removing his black suit jacket and white vest. I loosened his tie and pulled it over his head, mussing his hair. He smiled and I felt like we were on our honeymoon.  
I moved close to him and kissed his neck as I unbuttoned his white dress shirt. He moved his arms now to release the buttons at his wrists and I slid his belt from the loops. He slipped off his shoes and pulled me in tight.  
“Lovely, are you ready for the bed now?” he asked.   
“Not just yet.” I lowered myself to my knees in front of him and unzipped the fly on his black pants. His cock was too hard to bring out through the small opening so I unbuttoned them too and pulled him out.   
I ran the bottom of my tongue along the underside and twirled my lips around the head. He gently stroked my hair with those black leather gloves and I felt his balls begin to pull up. I did not want to miss out on the main event after all of this waiting so I kissed the tip and stood up to him.   
“I’m ready,” I said. He picked me up like a bride and I laced my fingers behind his neck to hold on. Instead of placing me on the bed like I thought he was going to he took me to down a few stairs at the back of the altar and kicked a tall metal candlestick.   
When the candlestick was shifted a thin door opened in the wall and he turned sideways to get us both through it. The door behind us closed and we were plunged into darkness.   
“Where are we?” I asked. I had no clue where we would end up with the house being so large. Just as I spoke a door the same size as the other slid open in front of us and he brought me into his bedroom next to the blazing fireplace.   
“You were right,” he said as he put me on my feet beside his huge bed. He cupped my face in his hands. “This is just for us tonight.” Papa kissed me tenderly and reached around to unzip my dress. “I have waited and dreamed and thought of this moment for a long time.”  
My dress fell to the floor and I reached back to undo my bra. When I let it slip from my shoulders Papa sighed. He ran the backs of his gloves against the sensitive sides of my breasts and down my ribs. He pulled his white tee shirt over his head and shed his open pants, pushing his black underwear down with them.   
We stood together, completely nude. Ready to connect. He moved forward and I felt his dick slip between my legs. I rubbed myself on him and looked up into his eyes.   
“Are you ready?” he whispered.   
I nodded then climbed onto the bed and lay back, he got in next to me and pushed the covers down.   
“I want to see our bodies,” he declared.   
I rubbed his shoulders and he looked down to where my legs were spread. He tickled me with the head of his cock. The pre-cum, my wetness, and our spit came together to make everything electric. He looked up into my eyes and pushed a little at my opening with his head. I was nervous but tried to relax as he began to slide into me.   
I gasped as he got farther in and I pulled at his neck to bring us chest to chest. He moved slowly in and out of me as I wrestled with him to keep him as far inside of me as possible. He reached back and kneaded my thigh keeping his other elbow braced at my shoulder so he could stroke my face and hair while holding himself up.   
“Ah, yes…” he groaned.   
I was relieved, he’d been with a lot of women and I worried that my body would be nothing special but it was obvious from his ragged breathing that he was enjoying himself very much. I was also feeling things that I wasn’t expecting.   
As he thrust into me I almost had the urge to cry. I didn’t feel sad or upset, just emotional. He got onto both elbows and stroked my cheek with his gloves.   
“How are you? Are you okay?” He searched my face and planted kisses on my lips and cheeks.   
“I’m great,” I managed to get out. “You feel so good. I think I’ve been wet for you since you ate my pussy in the closet.” He pumped harder hearing that.   
“I am glad we came in here, away from everyone.” He took longer deeper strokes, slowing down a little. “I do not know that I want them to see me lose control the way I fear I will.”  
This made me excited. I put my hands beneath my hips and lifted up against him, rocking my hips back and forth. He groaned again and looked down at my body rubbing on his.  
“You know, the head of the penis is a ridge so that when a male mates with a female who was previously with someone else, the ridge will pull the competing male’s semen out of her vagina giving the second male a better chance of impregnating her.”  
“I love it when you talk science with me,” I laughed.   
He lay down on top of me and brushed my hair out of my face. “Being this close to you is something new for me. I never talk to women when I am inside of them. I say “Yeah, fuck me.” or whatever but you…” he growled and nuzzled his face into my neck.   
I bucked my hips up and against him so my clit was hitting his pubic bone. That was the move that got me barreling toward an orgasm every time.   
“The way you’re moving is clenching me in all the right places.” He whimpered and was beginning to sweat. “Don’t stop.”  
I continued to grind my pussy against him and I knew it was coming. He grabbed one of my tits and began sucking on my nipple. That did it. I couldn’t wait anymore.   
“Papa, yes!” I cried out. Then I froze. The only movement in my body was the muscles between my legs. I was only prompted to keep going when I felt him hasten his thrusts. He brought my legs up over his shoulders and held them together sliding his cock in between my tight lips.   
“My beautiful, may I cum inside you?”  
I could only nod with my mouth wide open panting. He went faster.  
“Yes, yes, oh, fuck!” He kept pumping away as I felt him, hot and slick, fill me up and spill out of me onto the bed. I was shocked when I felt a build up between my legs and began to shake because I was going to cum again.   
“Don’t stop! Just a … little longer.” He kept going even though I knew it was causing him sensory overload. I felt myself tip over the edge and begin contracting around his dick again. When our movements slowed he lowered his body onto mine and kissed my lips softly.  
He lay down on his side next to me, my legs draped over his thigh, his dick still inside me. He removed his gloves and ran his fingers over my chest. He leaned in to kiss me again and he had faded enough that he slipped out.   
“Bellissima, you are worth the wait,” he said in my ear.   
I felt the same way about him.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayna decides she's going out for supplies and has a visitor the night before.

When I woke up his naked body was still wrapped around mine. I watched him lying there with his eyes closed and smiled to myself. It had been all I imagined and more. I gently scooted out from under his arm and made my way out of the tangle of bedding.   
I closed the bathroom door silently behind myself and looked at my naked form in the mirror. My long curls were a mess and I had a halo of lipstick around my mouth. I smiled at my reflection and washed my face at the sink.   
Free of any makeup I stepped into the large shower and turned on the hot water. It felt wonderful on my body and I spaced out with the feeling so I didn’t hear Papa open the door and come in. I only noticed him when I heard him lift the toilet lid to pee. Thinking back to my first shower on the bus I smiled. Old habits die hard.  
I watched him through the glass, examining his back and his round ass as he stood there. He looked over his shoulder and caught me staring.   
“You like what you see, Bellissima?” He chuckled and flushed then turned to where I stood, stretching. I did like what I saw. I liked his chest and stomach, his abdomen where soft hair started and down to other places. He apparently woke up at half mast because he seemed bigger than I remembered.   
“May I join you?” he asked opening the door to the large shower.   
“It’s your house,” I conceded.   
He gave me a stern look. “This is our house Bellissima. You are the lady of this house.” He approached me slowly, giving me time to decline his touch but I wanted him to hold me. I wanted him to press himself against me.   
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his cheek on top of my head.  
“Ah, Bellissima,” he sighed. “You are all of my dreams rolled into a person.” He kissed the top of my head. “I am infinitely happy that you returned to me, even if it was by chance.”  
He pulled back and planted a deep kiss on my lips then stepped beneath the sprayer at the other end of the shower and began to wash his black hair.   
“I have been meaning to talk to you about something…” I said, lathering up myself.   
“Yes?” he said from beneath the spray. It was easier with his eyes closed.   
“I am going to go on a run.”   
He froze for a moment, soap still all over him, unable to look at me. “Mm-hmm.” He rinsed his hair and face. “Why would you want to go out there? You are safe within these walls. I can keep them away from you in here but I don’t know that I can protect you out there.” Once the shampoo lather was gone he could open his eyes to look at me then his arms over his chest as the water ran down his body.   
“I know that. I also don’t want you to come with me.”  
“What the fuck?” he yelled.   
I jumped at the outburst and he changed his tone. “I am sorry. I am learning here. Why would you not want me to come with you?”  
I took a steadying breath. “I know that you would put yourself in harm’s way for me and I worry that you would do something that would get you killed in my defense.”  
He thought for a moment, searching my face with his eyes. Papa finally blew out a breath and shook his head. “As the lady of the house, I can not stop you but I ask you to take someone with you. Someone who will have your back if you need it.”  
I flung my arms around his naked shoulders and kissed him hard. “I will. I know all these guys. They are good fighters and they’re smart.” I pulled him close to me and kissed his neck. “Thank you.”  
He rolled his eyes. “You have to promise you will come back to me.”  
“I promise.”  
“Say it, my Bellissima,” he whispered barely audible over the running water.  
“I promise I will come back to you,” I vowed.  
He nodded and took my arms from around his neck. Without another word, he exited the shower and wrapped a towel around his hips. I knew he was unhappy about my decision but I wasn’t changing my mind.   
I spent the rest of the day talking to each of the guys, seeing if they wanted to go out and making sure they were up to it. I decided on Jimmy, Davey, Alpha, Goolsby, and Water. We’d leave the next day around noon. It wouldn’t be a terribly long trip but it would be farther than they had gone before.   
They had cleared out the closest little town and had a store there we could hole up in if need be but they’d also picked most of the supplies from it. We’d need to go a few more miles down the highway to find more food and, hopefully, more ammo.   
Jimmy, Water, and Davey would take the Calabrese SUV and Alpha, Goolsby and I would follow in one of Papa’s fleet cars. We loaded up the non-perishables the night before and mapped out the route together at dinner. Papa was not pleased and would barely look at me. I knew he didn’t want me to go or that he wanted to go with me but I also knew it wasn’t safe. After dinner, he left his plate and retreated to his room without so much as a good night. I wasn’t in the mood for him to try and persuade me so I retreated to my own bedroom for the night.   
I laid out my clothing and double checked the small personal bag I was going to take with me. When I was sure everything was as ready as it could be I finally sat on the bed and thought about going to sleep. Just as I pulled the covers back to climb in, I heard a knock at the door.   
It was quiet and patient, I had a feeling it was not Papa. When he knocked, if he knocked, it was more of an assertive bang. This was so light I wouldn’t have noticed it if I had been dozing. I padded to the door over the thick carpeting and pulled the knob just enough to peek out.   
“Hey,” said Davey standing in my living room. “Can I come in?”  
I opened the door immediately and took his hand to pull him inside. I shut the door behind him and put my arms around his neck.   
“I don’t know that I’m allowed in here anymore, or whatever but I really wanted to come talk to you before we go out tomorrow.”  
Ah, it was business, was it?  
“Sure, do you want to sit by the fire?”   
“Yeah, that sounds good.”   
Davey followed me to the two high backed chairs beside my fireplace. I curled up in my regular spot and wrapped my cashmere blanket around myself. He sat with his legs wide, elbows resting on his knees, and leaned towards me.   
“I am excited and nervous about going out there tomorrow,” he began. “I just want you to know that whatever happens, I will be there to protect you.”  
“I know that that’s one of the reasons I picked you for my team,” I said.   
“I also want you to know that I love you,” he said.  
This one took me off guard. I knew that we liked each other a lot and I cared about him deeply but I didn’t know his feelings wandered into love territory. It hit me that I loved him, too.   
Instead of saying those words to him I slipped from my chair with my soft, black blanket still around my shoulders and went to him. He placed his hands on my hips and rested his forehead on my belly. I took a moment to run my fingers through his dark hair and just let him hold me.   
He suddenly wrapped his arms around my middle and pulled me closer. When he looked up into my face I leaned in and kissed him softly. I remembered the first time we’d been alone together. I thought of how he looked in the candlelight and how much I had missed him.   
Davey leaned out of the chair with his arms still around my waist and lay me on the soft sheepskin rug in front of the fire. I pulled at the edges of his leather jacket to bring him closer to me and felt his stubble scratch at my chin. He opened his mouth and our tongues touched, sending a shiver through my body.   
He got back on his knees just long enough to take off his jacket and the button up shirt beneath it. I pulled my blanket over his back and he lay the full weight of his body against mine.   
“I keep thinking he’s going to bust in here and murder me,” Davey said, looking back at my bedroom door over his shoulder.   
I gently place my hand on his cheek and directed his face back towards mine.   
“He’s not. I can do what I want,” I whispered. Then I kissed his lips and ground against the hard bulge he was pressing into me.   
He got onto his knees once more and I reached for his belt. He pulled his boots off one at a time while I undid his pants. He pulled them down and kicked them off as he lowered himself on top of me once again.   
“I think of you all the time,” he said running his fingertips over my nipple through my thin tank top.   
I arched my back and felt him through my light cotton pajama pants. He kissed my chest between my breasts and moved slowly to my belly. He yanked my pants off and before I could move he’d buried his face between my legs.   
“Mmm, I still owe you one from our time on the road,” he mumbled.   
I pulled my top up and touched my breasts. I sighed as his hot mouth made contact with my most sensitive places. He stopped for a moment, licked his hand and slipped two fingers inside me, then went back to slowly lapping at my clit.   
I gasped at the two sensations together and looked down to find him already staring in my direction. Making eye contact with him as he licked and sucked me made me breathe even harder. I began rolling my hips to make more of a connection with his mouth and he smiled as he pulled away.   
He stroked his dick a couple times then held himself over me with one hand as he positioned himself at my dripping pussy with the other.   
“Yes, please, yes, I want to feel you inside of me,” I begged. He looked back up at my face and he slid into my cunt and when our bodies met he lay on top of me and began to move slowly.   
I clawed at his lower back and ass. He let out a moan and covered my mouth with his. I brought my legs close together to squeeze him and he rocked on top of me.   
“I have been thinking of you like this for weeks now. I have to say I was relieved not to see you with him,” Davey growled into my ear. The talk of Papa took me out of myself so I didn’t mention it. Instead, I pushed on the left side Davey’s chest and he rolled onto his back with me still on top of him.   
I didn’t sit up but stayed lying close to his chest as I brought my hips up and down. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. He reached up to grab my tits as I moved on him then placed one hand on my ass, kneading it and pulling me down harder on his cock.   
His already ragged breath sped up and became deeper. I pulled a handful of his hair and kissed his exposed neck.  
“Oh, shit, don’t stop... Ah, ah, ahh,” he took hold of my hips and ground against me as I held on for the ride. He let go inside me and the warmth brought me closer to getting off. Without warning he sat up and lay me down on the carpet. He tugged at my legs, bringing my knees up over his shoulder and went back to licking my clit.   
My body began to shake and wave after wave of spasms wracked through me. As I came I felt like every muscle in my pelvis was tensing in time with my pussy. “Stop, stop…” I cried, “I can’t take it anymore.”  
He gently let my ass and legs back down onto the soft rug and scooted up behind me, bringing to blanket over us both. I stared into the fire and pulled his arm over me.   
“I missed you,” I whispered, “I’m glad you’re going out with us tomorrow.”   
We slept on the sheepskin rug all night, his arm around me, warmed by the fire.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip out for supplies goes wrong.

Dead had piled up at the gate because we hadn’t been thinning them out as regularly as we should have. It took us 4 hours to clear every last one around the perimeter so we got on the road a bit late. Papa had ordered that the gates never be opened, even for a moment, as long as there were any around the wall. It was a large compound and it seemed like it took forever but it was a wise rule.  
Jimmy drove his SUV, Davey rode shotgun, and Water rode in the back. Alpha drove one of Papa’s fleet cars while I rode in the passenger seat and Goolsby sat in the back. We let the SUV take the lead with Water navigating. The ghouls knew the surrounding area and they’d cleared out most of the nearest town so this time we’d be heading farther out.   
The highway was littered with wrecked and abandoned vehicles. There was a semi truck overturned on the shoulder as we headed out of the nearest small town and made our way out onto the main road. It seemed that the dead had wandered off to find food as this wasteland was long devoid of any life. Even the fires caused by the random wrecks were long burned out and left some of the cars sad shells of their former selves.   
We reached a point in the highway that was so packed with cars that we were forced to drive down into the grass between the lanes. The SUV made the trip with no problem but our car had to go slower with it’s smaller engine and lower ground clearance. Jimmy was already up the hill and back onto the asphalt when the dead man took hold of my door handle.   
He was missing his lower jaw and one arm so with his only hand occupied by holding my door handle I knew I could take him out.   
“Alpha, unlock my window.”  
He was trying hard not to hit any of the cars and to maneuver up the hill but took his left hand off the wheel long enough to press the release button and I rolled my window down just far enough to stick the pistol out of the window and into the dead thing’s face. One shot and he was on the ground behind us.   
We reached the top of the hill and Alpha had oriented us back on the road as I rolled my window up. Goolsby made me jump when he leaned forward between the front seats and yelled “Shit!”  
Alpha slammed on the breaks and I looked up to find a wall of the dead less half mile ahead of us. Jimmy had gunned the gas to ram through them but I knew our car would never make it past the hoard. I grabbed the radio from the car’s console and pressed the button.  
“Davey, are you guys okay up there?”  
“Yeah, we’re okay. We’re gonna make it through… I think.”  
I heard a loud noise over the speaker and my heart felt like it had stopped.   
“What happened?” I yelled into the radio. “Davey are you guys okay?”  
There was nothing but static on their end of the line. I looked at Alpha and Goolsby helplessly.   
The SUV appeared to have been swallowed by the growing crowd and we could only stare in shock and horror. Alpha snapped out of it and pulled the car back into the ditch in an attempt to get on the other side of the highway. 

“We have to turn around. If they are hardly making it through, there’s no way this car would make a dent in that hoard.” He stepped on the gas and we maneuvered through the abandoned vehicles around us.  
The car was making it through the obstacles okay but we’d run over some debris from the other cars and we began to shimmy as we got back onto the blacktop. Alpha stopped the car and put it in park. We all climbed out with our guns in hand, keeping eyes in all directions.   
Alpha leaned down to inspect the tires. He rose back up and stared at the hoard ahead of us. “Both right tires are shredded. We only have one spare.”  
It seemed that the dead closest to us had begun moving in our direction. It wouldn't be long before they reached and it definitely wouldn’t be enough time to change both tires even if we could find a good one on one of the cars around us.  
“If we have to walk then let’s get going. The longer we’re out here in the open the more of those things we’re going to attract," Goolsby said.  
I climbed back into the car and tried to radio the other guys again. There was no answer and my blood felt like it turned to ice in my veins.  
I reached out and popped the trunk. I could only carry two sleeping bags with all the food and ammo I was bogged down with. We walked in the ditch and tried to avoid the dead. A couple popped out of the tree line here and there but Goolsby made quick work of them with the hatchet he carried.   
“If he wants the fucking car he can come get it himself,” Alpha mumbled as we went.   
I’d brought the radio with me but kept it off. If it spouted static I was sure the dead would come pouring out of the trees at us but I worried constantly that Jimmy, Davey, or water were trying to contact us.  
For the most part, we walked in silence. Alpha led the way since he knew the area. Goolsby had been walking behind me but he quickened his pace to match mine and took my hand to walk at my side. I gave him a grateful smile and my heart felt slightly lighter.   
The sun had faded fast behind the trees and it was well after dark when we walked into the little shopping area closest to the house.   
“This is the place we’ve cleared out to stay in,” Alpha said leading us into the parking lot. He lifted the metal gate covering the glass front of the convenience store and we stepped inside.   
Goolsby and I checked the building as a precaution while Alpha took a Masterlock from the shelf, tore it open, and slipped it onto the main shutter. All the rest already had locks on them.   
Once I felt that we were safe I pressed the button on the radio and called out to our missing team members again. “Jimmy? Davey? Water? Can anyone hear me?”  
I waited and there was no answer. I sat down against the door between the manager’s office and the main floor.   
“What if they got overpowered?” I mumbled to myself. “What if they didn’t make it through the hoard?”  
I began to cry. I’d done my best since the beginning to prepare myself for losing someone. I’d known how relentless the dead were when they went bad. I’d seem a man in the lab once stand too close to a decedent we were restoring and he was attacked. Sometimes I dreamt about his screams, the way the light went out in his eyes, the way they’d clouded over, and the way he returned.   
It was horrific and now I imagined Davey suffering that fate. They would tear him from the car and begin biting and clawing at him. They didn’t want to eat they wanted to recruit. The thought of him rising was worse than the thought of his permanent death. I knew he would never want to be one of those things.   
“Hey,” came a gentle voice. “Hey,” a little louder.   
My vision cleared and I found Alpha crouched in front of me. “They’re going to be okay.”  
I leaned forward, knocking him on his ass and hugging him tightly. He didn’t care, he just held me until my tears went dry.   
We took our time eating dinner and arranging our weapons. It would be well past dawn before we could leave the store and begin our trek home. As we arranged our things I put the sleeping bags down realizing that no one else had grabbed the 3rd one. I left them on the carpeted floor of the office and went back to the main shopping area.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you do when you're stuck in an apocalypse and you think half of your crew is dead? You have a threesome, of course.

My two companions were double checking the shutters over the windows and discussing our trip home in the morning so I took the opportunity to look through the aisles alone. I found the item I was searching for and grabbed the boxes, tearing them open. They were smaller without their cardboard packaging. Once my hands were full I snuck back to the office and hid the 12 items at the bottom of my bag. I didn’t know when I’d be able to get more so I took as many as I could hide, just in case.   
I jumped and zipped my pack quickly as the door to the office came open.   
“Hey, getting ready for bed?” Alpha asked.   
Goolsby came in behind him. “It seems pretty clear out there,” he said.  
I took off my boots and sat next to the bags.   
“We have a bit of a problem,” I said, looking up at them. They tensed up with panic in their eyes but I shifted my gaze to the two sleeping bags and they caught on.  
“That’s not a big deal,” Alpha said sitting in the rolling chair at the desk to untie his shoes. “Just zip them together and we’ll all get in. It’s supposed to get pretty cold out so the extra body heat won’t hurt.”   
An Alpha and Goolsby filled sleeping bag with me in the middle? I was gonna offer to sleep on the carpet but this sounded much cozier. My only problem was that I’d be frustrated all night.   
Gools shut the office door and locked it before he began taking off his backpack. Alpha took to zipping the sleeping bags together and laid them out neatly before climbing in.  
He took an edge, then Goolsby got in and snuggled to the other side. I took a deep breath and slid into the bag between them.  
We left our little camping light on just in case and none of us seemed very tired. I lay on my back with a forearm under my head and counted the holes in the ceiling tiles. Alpha had his back to me and Goolsby was tossing and turning. It must have been an hour before anyone said anything.   
“I can’t sleep. I’m going to go look out the shutters and make sure it’s still clear,” Goolsby said as he climbed out of the bag. He quietly put his boots on and left the room closing the door behind him.  
I lay there a little longer, nearly thinking that Alpha had finally fallen asleep when he turned toward me and lay his hand on my stomach. I looked over at his face and saw that his eyes were open, staring at me from beneath heavy lids.   
“How are you doing?” he asked.   
I gave a shrug. “I’m having a really hard time falling asleep,” I admitted.   
“Me too,” he said. He rubbed small circles on my abdomen and slowly began moving down in tiny increments. “I know something that always helps me relax.”   
The offer was so tempting. I had been fighting off the dirty thoughts as I lay there between them. I glanced at the door.   
“I don’t think it’d be too kind for Gools to come back from checking on our safety to find us going at it. You guys already seem to be on rocky ground.”   
Alpha cocked his head. “I don’t know, it’s a guy thing but I wouldn’t be averse to trying something new.”  
I thought about this for a moment. Could the two of them put aside their dislike for each other long enough for us to be partners? Most of the animosity had seemed to come from Alpha. As far as I knew, Goolsby was taking everything in stride. I pushed myself up and out of the sleeping bag.   
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Alpha and went out the office door to the main area in search of Goolsby.   
I found him alright, apparently I was so careful with the door that he didn’t hear me come out and I found him near the coolers. He seemed to be looking into them for something. His left hand was steadying him, pressed against the glass. I watched him for a moment and saw that he was shaking a bit. His right arm was in front of his body and moving furiously. Apparently, he was into the same sleep meds Alpha was but he was too shy to share.   
“Hey…” I whispered quietly so as not to scare him too much. He still jumped and turned toward me, grabbing the gun he had strapped over his shoulder and ready to shoot. He dropped his gun back to his side quickly, still breathing heavy.   
“Jesus, you scared me to death,” he said. I looked down at where his hard dick was sticking out of his pants.   
“You okay?” I asked.   
He looked down and tucked himself as best as he could back into his black jeans. They wouldn’t zip.   
“I uh, couldn’t sleep. I was next to you and I’d watch your chest rise and fall. I kept thinking about our night at the house.” He looked down at his shoes and turned sheepish. “I didn’t want to do anything that might piss Alpha off. If given the choice I would have chosen you in a heartbeat.”   
“C’mon then. You can have me.”  
He looked around. “Out here? There’s nothing comfortable out here.”  
“No,” I said approaching him. “In the nice warm sleeping bag.”  
He kissed me then rolled his eyes. “I don’t think Papa’s guy is gonna go for that,” he said.   
I leaned in and whispered in his ear. “He’s the one who suggested it.”   
I felt his cock strain harder at his pants and knew that it was a done deal. I took his hand and led him through the cold aisles to the office. I locked the door again and turned to find that Alpha was ready to go, his clothes in a pile on the floor near the bags.   
Goolsby gave me a look and I nodded so he started undressing. I was out of my clothes in a blink and I crawled into the bag. He slid in next to me and my heart was racing. For all of my cavorting after leaving the tour the closest I had come to a three-way was when Bobby surprised me while Davey and I were having sex. The idea of this happening seemed so far away in my mind that I wondered if I had really fallen asleep and was dreaming.   
Each of the men were already touching themselves but they seemed reluctant to make the first move to touch me. That just wasn’t going to do, so I reached down and took one of each of their hands, placing them on my breasts. I sighed deeply, having imagined two men taking me at once. Goolsby propped himself up to lick and suck at my nipple while Alpha went south and gently massaged my clit.   
I felt like that alone was going to make me lose it but I didn’t want to finish too quickly, something this rare was made to be savored.   
I reached down, took a cock into each hand and slowly began to stroke. The men moved closer to me to rub themselves on my thighs. I knew that Alpha was a little longer than Goolsby so I told Gools to lay on his back and motioned for Alpha to get at his feet. I put my hand firmly on the back of Alpha’s blond hair and pulled him into me for a kiss.   
“Wanna get him ready for me?” I asked looking into his blue eyes. At first, he seemed to hesitate but my hand on the back of his head gently guided him to the other man. He opened his mouth and licked the underside of Gools’ dick.  
At first, it was slow going but then, to my surprise and delight, they got into it. I touched Alpha while he continued his exploration. Goolsby actually reached out and softly stroked Alpha’s hair.  
“That should be nice and wet for me now.”  
They got into position and first I slowly slid down on the man beneath me. He closed his eyes as we connected.   
“Now you come up behind me and slide in too,” I ordered Alpha over my shoulder. He licked his fingers and slathered his spit at the opening of my pussy. He also took a second to wrap his fingers around the base of Gools’ dick. I felt him get harder inside me and I leaned over to kiss him.   
“He’s about to go,” I said to Alpha, “If you don’t get in soon you’re gonna miss it.”   
He moved his hips up behind me and I took a deep breath. This was gonna be tight. He put the head right up against us and pushed. He had to put quite the effort into it to make room but I leaned forward a bit and he slid inside me.   
I groaned and pushed down on them. It was slightly painful at first but as I relaxed it became nearly more pleasure than I could bear. One would slide out a little as the other pushed in then they would switch. Alpha reached around to cup one of my breasts and Goolsby reached up to play with the other.   
“I can’t do this too long,” I gasped.   
Alpha was about to pull out, “Are we hurting you?”  
I reached around to grab his ass and pull him back in, there was no way I was going to let him quit now.   
“No, it feels incredible,” I moaned. “Please, don’t stop.” Alpha reached out his other hand and locked fingers with Goolsby to give him some leverage and pick up his pace.   
“Are you getting close, man?” Gools asked breathlessly.  
“Ugh, yeah…”   
They could tell I was seconds from losing all control, they didn’t even need to ask me. The back and forth continued until my legs began to shake. I was scared for a second because I could not move. I felt them begin to pulse inside of me, moving quicker, and that made it more intense. I couldn’t even make a noise, I came so hard.   
They slowed their thrusts and I was finally able to make my limbs move properly again. I ran my hands over Goolsby’s chest as he controlled his breathing. Alpha rested his forehead against my neck and drew quick gasps.   
I slipped up off of them and lay on my back. Alpha got up on shaky legs and left the room. I looked over at Gools and he took my hand, interlacing our fingers. He brought my knuckles to his mouth and kissed them.   
“That was infinitely better than jerking off in an abandoned gas station alone.”  
“I’m glad we caught you in time,” I smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his mouth. “So you liked getting your dick sucked by a man, huh?”   
He smiled. “Nim’s been at it for years.”  
I grinned but didn’t have time to say anything as Alpha had returned with a roll of paper towels, handing them out to each of us and then cleaning himself off as well.  
“Thank you,” Goolsby said.   
I dried myself off and threw my towels into the wastebasket by the desk. “God, you guys did a number on me. I’m going to smell like you for days.”  
The looked at one another and grinned.   
“It’s been awhile,” Alpha said then he tossed his trash away and got back into the bag. He turned my face toward him and kissed me deeply. I lay my forehead against his and smiled at him.   
“This was amazing. Next time though, you’re all mine,” he said quietly. He winked at me and it gave me a shiver. I turned over onto my stomach and lay my head on my arms. Each of the men put their arms over me and was almost sure I felt them holding hands. We were finally able to get some sleep.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming home.

The next morning we woke long after the sun was up. I perused the aisles one more time for anything that could be useful. I found a display of tech accessories and grabbed a couple of chargers that would fit my phone. In our haste to leave the Calabrese house, I'd left mine upstairs on my night table and my phone was long dead.  
All of our things were packed and we’d been pretty quiet all morning. I wondered if what we’d done the night before had been a mistake. I didn’t feel like it had and I didn’t want them to either.   
Alpha and I were surveying the parking lot through the shutters and, luckily, it seemed clear. Goolsby came up behind us and Alpha was just about to unlock the gate when I spoke.   
“Guys, is everything cool between all of us? You seem off today.”   
They looked at one another and then at me. “We’re cool,” Alpha said from beneath his mask. Goolsby smirked at him and nodded.   
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure because… I really enjoyed last night.” I leaned up and lifted Alpha’s mask to kiss him then shifted over to kiss Goolsby. I pulled my pistol from its thigh holster. “Okay, let’s not get killed.” 

The walk back took a couple hours. In a car, it would have been nothing. Even though we stopped to try cars on the way nothing was starting so we eventually quit wasting our time and just went as fast as we could. Finally, we rounded the corner for the street the house was on and I felt like I could cry, I was so relieved to be back. My joy was swiftly smashed when I thought about Jimmy, Water, and especially Davey, still out there.   
As we got to the gate the area seemed clear. Alpha unlocked the chain around the gate but as he was keying in the code a decedent came out of seemingly nowhere. It grabbed a hold of Goolsby’s pack and pulled him backward, knocking him off his feet, and fell on top of him.   
I aimed my pistol but with Gools wrestling to keep it from biting him and rolling around to try to get it off I couldn’t get a good shot.   
I kicked the thing in the head and that threw it off enough that Goolsby could move away from its mouth.  
Alpha came from behind the dead man and sunk a hunting knife deep into the back of its skull, not bothering to pull it out. Goolsby was able to push the dead weight off of him and took Alpha’s hand when he offered it.   
“Thanks, man,” Goolsby said and pulled Alpha in for a half a hug.   
“Anytime.”   
Alpha tried the code to the gate again and it slid open. We backed into the driveway keeping our eyes trained on anything that might come out from the trees. Once the gate had closed again I heaved a sigh of relief. We were home.   
I heard the door in the garage open and footsteps rushing toward us. When I turned I expected to see Papa but I came face to face with Davey. He was flanked by Jimmy and Water. Alpha and Goolsby went to them and shared grateful hugs that they’d gotten back safely.   
I ran to Davey and jumped on him, wrapping my legs around his waist.   
“I thought you were dead!” I cried. “How did you get back?” I wrapped my arms around his neck and nearly choked him to death with my crushing hug.  
He was laughing and squeezing me back. “We got through but it was rough. The radio was thrown to the back of the car and it broke. I wanted to let you know we were coming home but I couldn’t. We found your car on the way back and I thought you were gone.”   
He pulled back to look into my eyes and I could see tears well up in his. “I didn’t know if I’d see you again.”   
I kissed him and wrapped my arms around him again. As I rested my head on his shoulder I saw that Papa had come out and was watching our reunion as he leaned against the garage door frame with his hands in his pockets. He was smiling but I could tell he wasn’t totally happy. He nodded at me and stood up straight, walking back into the house.   
Davey put me down and we all began unloading our things. I hugged Jimmy and Water and gave quick glances at Goolsby and Alpha. Now that I knew everyone was home safe, the night we’d spent in the gas station could feel more like a good time instead of a last goodbye. 

Once our things were put away and Nim served me a plate of dinner I knew that I had someone else to visit. He’d disappeared upon our return and I hadn’t seen him since.   
I was dirty and tired but instead of cleaning up and changing when I got to my room, I gathered a clean nightgown and panties and went down the hall. At the large carved door, I turned the knob and let myself in. There was a fire in the fireplace and clean black sheets and blankets on the bed. I had enjoyed my night with others but I came home for this.   
I found him sitting in his reading chair, just gazing into the fire. He was in a formal white shirt and black pants, what he considered casual. I came around to face him and it seemed that my presence surprised him. He looked up at me suddenly and focused that white eye on mine.   
“I promised I’d come back to you,” I said to him.   
In a flash, he was out of the chair and holding my face in his hands. Tears mixed with hot breath as he kissed me over and over. I put my arms around him and pulled him closer.   
“Last night was the longest night of my life. Not the night before the Grammis, or the night before our first tour, never before have I stayed up all night pacing the way I did last night.” He kissed me again. “I thought you were gone. Then when the other men came home without you, telling me they saw the car abandoned… I thought I’d lost you.”   
“I made you a promise,” I said looking into his mismatched eyes.  
He nodded. “Thank you for fighting to get back to me.” He finally let me go and looked at my disheveled hair and dirty clothes. “Have you not had a bath yet?”  
I shook my head and let him lead me to the bathroom. He drew a warm bath, pouring some sweet smelling bubbles into the tub while I got undressed. He held my hand to climb the steps to the tub and watched me sink into the warm water.   
He took the sprayer from the faucet and rinsed my hair, washing, conditioning, and rinsing it again. When he was done he stood up and began to take his own clothing off. He climbed into the oversized tub and faced me. I ran my fingers over his legs and feet. I took one of his feet in my hand and began to massage it. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.   
“Bellissima, I should be massaging you…” he said in a husky voice.  
I put his foot down. “Okay,” I smiled.   
“No, really if you want to keep going that is fine.”   
I laughed and picked his foot up again. He glided his fingertips over my calves and we soaked together in silence. I finished one foot and picked up the other. When I was done with that one I put it back into the water and sighed. The bath felt so good. I was safe, we were all safe, and now it was time to relax.  
“Come here, my beautiful one,” he said reaching out a hand for me. He pulled me up on top of him to rest my head on his chest just above the water. He stroked my wet hair and kissed the top of my head.   
He’d begun to fall asleep so I picked my head up and gave him a soft kiss. “C’mon before we drown. Let’s go to bed.”   
“Mmm, okay.”   
I got out and wrapped myself in a thick, white towel. Papa stood up, eyes still half closed and I got one for him. He wrapped it around his waist and headed for the bed. I left my nightclothes where I’d put them on the ottoman near the fire and climbed into bed with my companion. He lay on his back and I snuggled up beside him to put my head on his shoulder. He stroked my back for a few minutes before we were both totally out.   
In the middle of the night, I awoke to hands running over my ass and the backs of my legs as I lay on my stomach. I stayed still, pretending not to know so I could see what they would do next. The soft fingers went up and down a few times and then on the next turn they slowly inched up my inner thighs and a warm palm was pressed firmly over my pussy from behind. I lifted my hips so he could get a better grasp.   
He whispered into my hair, “I could smell him on you when you disrobed, my love.”   
I stretched and snuggled back into the pillow, letting him continue to touch me. “You didn’t smell him,” I said, my voice muffled.   
“I know what another man smells like on a woman,” he laughed and nipped at my shoulder.   
“You smelled them.”   
The growl intensified and he got up to straddle my thighs. “What did you let them do to you, Bellissima? Did they take turns with you? Watching as the other got off?” He licked his hand and rubbed my entrance.  
“I took them both at the same time…” I said with a smile. “Their cocks were rubbing together inside me.”  
He shuddered and gently pushed at me with his fingers.   
“I made Alpha get Goolsby ready for me, then I fucked them.”  
“Yes, did you like seeing him servicing another man?”  
“I did, it made me incredibly wet.”  
“I bet you weren’t nearly as wet as you are now,” he said into my ear. His body weight on top of mine was grounding and warm but he got off of me and flipped me over onto my back. He lay on top of me and scooted up so that he was rubbing his dick against my pussy but not yet inside me.   
“I wasn’t even close to this wet,” I said. “My body reacts to you in a different way.”   
He kissed my throat and ran his fingers over my nipple. “Do you want me to fuck you, Bellissima?” he asked.   
I nodded.   
“Tell me how bad you want it.”  
“Please, fuck me Papa. I have to feel you in me now.”  
He reached down between our bodies and put himself into me, watching as we connected. He pulled out and pushed back in a couple of times taking in the show. Then he lay his body down on mine and kissed my neck again.   
I pulled the thick, soft comforter up over us and took his face in my hands with a sigh. “I adore making love to you.”  
He rocked on top of me grinding against my g-spot. “You like this, do you?” he smiled. He kissed my breasts and sucked on one of my nipples. I reached down to run my fingers along the sides of his hips as he continued to thrust. He brought his right leg up and draped my leg over his, penetrating me deeper and making me moan.   
“Yes, Bellissima, I want to hear the noises you make. You don’t ever have to be quiet or shy with me.” He let out a groan himself and brought my calf up to kiss it. His breath quickened and I relaxed my leg again. He kissed my mouth and his tongue darted over mine. The slick rubbing between our mouths sent sparks to my most sensitive areas and the rubbing he was doing down there was magnified.   
“I’m getting close,” I gasped. He let out a growl and went at me as deep as he could but kept the gentle pace. Thrust after thrust brought me closer to the edge and I could tell he was right there with me.   
“I’m going to cum in you, my love…” he moaned. I rolled my hips up and against him, my clit grinding on his body.   
“I want to feel you fill me with it,” I gasped as I came. My legs shook and he covered my mouth with his again as he thrust faster. I felt his release and my body continued to contract around him. He dropped down on top of me, breathing hard.   
“I wanted you so badly but I was too tired earlier. When I smelled… them on you I had to mark you again.”


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some interesting news.

Things seemed to be getting back to normal over the next three weeks. Thankfully we were good on supplies because Jimmy, Davey, and Water had completed the run Goolsby, Alpha, and I had been forced to abandon. Winter was coming and we’d need to go out one more time before it began to get bad but for the moment things were blissful and quiet.   
Nim and Goolsby had seemed to become closer since we’d returned unharmed. They would sit next to each other at dinner and once I came out into the courtyard and I swear I caught them kissing. Maybe our adventure had given Gools a new appreciation for his male friend.  
One evening as Alpha and I were cleaning up after dinner I caught a whiff of the wine as I poured the leftover out of the decanter.   
“Whew, he brought out the strong stuff tonight, huh?” I asked with a laugh.   
Alpha took the glass pitcher from me and sniffed it.   
“It wasn’t that strong. It smells fine to me.” He shrugged and handed the glassware back to me.   
I rinsed it and dried it then carefully set it on the counter. When I turned around to Alpha he was leaning against the counter with his legs crossed at the ankles and and his arms crossed, one hand resting against the chin of his mask.   
“What?” I asked. He continued to look me up and down. He reached his hands out toward my chest.  
“May I?” he asked motioning to my breasts.   
“Mm, please do, I could use some of that one on one time you referred to on the trip out.”  
He placed his hands on my tits gently and squeezed. He rubbed my chest and then pinched my nipples.   
“Ow,” I gasped knocking his hands away. “I thought you were trying to be sexy not give me a fucking purple nurple.”   
He laughed and met my eyes. “Are you pregnant?”   
My smile fell from my face.   
“You’re crazy.” I waved a dismissive hand at him and took the decanter out to the dining room to place it in the china cabinet with him hot on my heels.  
“Oh, yeah. When was the last time you had your period?” he stood behind me with hands held out to his sides.   
I stopped and tried to think but I actually couldn’t remember right away. “I don’t know, I don’t want to talk to you about this.” I tried to avoid the conversation by returning to the kitchen. My heart was beating a little faster.   
I stood at the sink and faced him. “Really, I doubt it. I haven’t felt sick or anything.”   
He approached me placing his hands on my hips and pushing into my pelvis. “Your tits are swollen. I noticed when you came to dinner tonight.”   
“I thought you were just staring as usual.”  
“Touche, I do that but I noticed right away that something was different.” He ground against me more. “I have to say the thought that I got you pregnant is making me kind of hard. First time, huh?”  
I lifted his mask and kissed him. He took my face in his hands and kissed me back parting my lips with his tongue. I reached down and pulled his throbbing dick from his pants to stroke him.   
“Think about it, I’ll bet that you’ve been hornier lately because of the extra blood rushing through you. I bet that your breasts have been a little sore.”  
I tried to ignore what he was saying, wishing he’d just shut up and take me, but it was all true. I pulled my skirt up and rubbed him between my wet lips to distract him. He bent his knees to enter me and picked me up to bounce me on his cock.   
“You even thought the wine smelled strong.”   
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders to hold on tight as he fucked me.   
“Face it, I got you pregnant,” he grunted. He seemed very turned on by the thought and began pounding away. It was all I could do to keep a hold on him.   
Apparently, he’d been saving up because this was a quick one. He finished fast and hard still thrusting. I was there soon after but nearly too worried to enjoy it. Alpha, ever the gentleman, handed me a dishtowel. I jumped when I heard clapping.  
“So, you knocked her up, did you? Big Daddy E isn’t gonna like this one bit.” Nim stood at the door between the kitchen and dining room. “God, I hope you guys don’t do this when you’re cooking my food.”  
In a show of dominance, Alpha wiped his semi-hard dick off and let it hang out for a second for Nim to get a good view of how big he was.   
“Nice, if you get tired of her, I have a penchant for footlongs like that one.”  
Alpha snickered. “Like Goolsby’s.”   
Nim cocked an eyebrow.   
“You know, it could be his,” Alpha said washing his hands. I felt the air being sucked out of the room.   
“Not my man, he’s had the old snip snip,” Nim mimed his fingers together like scissors, “but really it could be nearly anyone’s,” Nim sighed. “Sorry, sweetie, you are kind of a whore.”   
I pretended to be offended then nodded in agreement. He gave me a peck on the cheek and turned to leave.   
“Hey, Nim, please don’t say anything to anyone. I’m probably not, Alpha just got out of control saying things. Please.”  
“You know I have your back, Hon.”  
Once Nim was gone Alpha crossed his arms. “I want it to be mine,” he said firmly.   
“Well, if it comes out with blue eyes it’s yours, brown it’s Davey’s and mismatched it’s Emeritus’.”  
Alpha’s head dropped and he mumbled. “Four of us? In two days? God, can’t you space them out a bit?”   
I was pissed now. “You weren’t asking me to space them out when you and Goolsby were rubbing together inside me!” I stalked out of the room leaving him there to stew in his thoughts and went to my quarters. I wasn’t really mad at him, I was mad at myself.

Alone in my bathroom, I removed my dress and stood there totally naked examining myself in the mirror. My breasts were swollen. My middle seemed slightly rounder but if anything I was just bloated and I’d get my period any minute. I had the 12 pregnancy tests I’d snatched at the gas station but I really didn’t want to take one. What if? I thought hard to remember when I’d had my last period. It was probably about 2 weeks before the ritual. That left me with a window of 48 hours around the time of our ill-fated run. Great.  
I sat on my bed in my pajamas and picked up my phone. I’d kept it on since we’d returned and called David several times. He’d never answered and his messages were still full. I called Carline but she didn’t answer either. The message I left her asking her to call me sounded lighthearted but I was panicking inside.   
I put on my pajamas and brushed my teeth and hair. Then I shut off all my lights and padded down the carpeted hallway to Emeritus’ door. Inside I found him resting in his bed, reading an antique leather-bound book. I didn’t say anything but just crawled in next to him.   
“Hello, my Bellissima,” he said and he kissed the top of my head. He continued to read as thoughts ran through my mind over and over again. I couldn’t make my mouth move or make any sound come out.   
“You seem tense, my love.” He placed a bookmark and put his book down on the nightstand. “I think you need something to relax.”  
He turned over to kiss me and I felt like crying but held it back trying to enjoy the feeling of his hands on me. He nuzzled his way down to my chest and shot a look up at me. I didn’t acknowledge it but just closed my eyes and let him move farther down my body. He pulled my legs apart and took in my splayed body. Bringing my legs up over his shoulders he moved his mouth down and pressed his lips to mine.   
I squirmed at his hot mouth. I had come not too long before and still felt very sensitive. Damned Alpha. I was beginning to really get into the tongue licking me in long, languid strokes and the fingers Papa was using to massage me when he raised his head. He kept the fingers pressing on my sensitive insides.   
“Bellissima,” he said watching me. “Look at me.”  
My heart stopped in my chest. “What, Love?”  
“You have not bled recently.” He watched me. “I have been anticipating that time to enjoy new aspects of your body but it has yet to happen. Did I miss it?”  
I stared into his intense eyes as he kept the pressure on my g-spot, seeming to dare me to lie to him. I shook my head no. He nodded and kept his eyes glued to mine as he lowered his mouth to my body again.   
“You are very tender tonight. Rosier than usual. More swollen.” He went back to licking my clit in between speaking. “Do you have something to tell me? Yes?” He moved faster and I was nearing the edge. He began to jerk off in time with his fingers penetrating me.   
“Because I have to know these things.”  
“I… I’m not sure,” I panted.   
He raised up on his knees. He still pumped his fingers in and out of me but rubbed his dick quickly and let go all over my lower belly. The warmth sent me over the edge. I tried to pull my legs together but he rubbed the head of his dick against my clitoris and kept at me with his fingers. I writhed on the bed and let out a few squeaks as he kept going. I thought my nerves would burn out but his movements didn’t stop. The grinding sensitiveness of it all turned back to pleasure and before I knew it I was cumming again. This time I actually squirted a little with him working his fingers so vigorously.   
“Okay, okay,” I cried. I couldn't take anymore.  
He stopped and got up to grab something from the bathroom. When he returned with the towels I was nervous to look at him and cleaned up without making eye contact.   
“You will not keep things from me,” he said as he settled back into the bed.  
“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t even realize it might be possible until about an hour ago.”  
“Mmm, and you are not sure.”   
I hesitated. “I have some tests but if I am it could be…”  
He looked down at his hands with a look of sadness, “It could be someone else’s.”   
I nodded.   
“Bellissima, I will take care of you,” he placed his hand on my lower belly, “and this little one. I love you.”   
I wanted to cry, I’d been so sure that he’d push me away but he was pulling me closer. Maybe it would bring us all closer, a light in this dark, dead world.   
“Go get the test Bellissima, I will be with you.”  
I got out of bed and went to the hall, tiptoeing to my room where I’d stashed the tests when we’d gotten home. I opened the door of my bedroom to find a worried looking Goolsby sitting on the bed. He jumped to his feet and embraced me.   
“Is it true?” he asked.   
“What are you talking…” I began.  
“No, don’t bullshit me. Nim told me you’re, well, possibly, pregnant.”  
“I think I might be,” I admitted. I hadn’t wanted to say that it could be true but I had to acknowledge that it was a possibility. I also made a mental note to watch what I said around Nim from then on.  
“That’s awesome!” he hugged me tight then pulled back and saw the worry on my face. “Isn’t it?”  
“I don’t know honestly. What the hell would I do with a baby in a zombie apocalypse? I didn’t want kids even before all this shit happened.” I went to my bed and ran my hand beneath the edge of the mattress. I brought out two of the sticks in their pink wrappers and went for the door.   
“He’s making me take these now so I guess we’ll know soon enough.”  
“Can I come with you?” he asked.  
“Nim said that you had a vasectomy, why do you care so much?”  
“Because I care about you…” he said as if it should be obvious.  
His open enthusiasm made me feel better in my gloom. I wasn’t going to argue with him, if Emeritus didn’t like it they could deal with it themselves.   
“C’mon then.”  
When we got into Papa’s bedroom he sneered at Goolsby. “What the fuck is he doing in here, right now?”  
“Moral support. I know it’s not his but he just wanted to be here.”  
Papa looked from me to Goolsby then motioned to the chairs near the fire. Goolsby took a seat to wait. I went into the bathroom and Papa followed me.   
“Are you going to watch?” I asked.   
“Maybe another time,” he said. Finally, a smile.  
I unwrapped the stick and left the lid on the counter. I sat down and peed on it, careful not to invert it. I watched the liquid move over the test window and wiped, then took the test back to the counter to put the lid on. I felt like I would pass out.   
Papa came up from behind me to watch over my shoulder and put his arms around my waist, placing a protective hand on my belly.  
I didn’t want to look but soon enough he kissed my neck.   
“Ah, Bellissima, you are, indeed, with child…”  
My vision became blurry and the floor seemed to come up out of nowhere. When I woke I was in Papa’s bed with him on one side and Goolsby on the other.   
“My love, how are you feeling?” Papa asked.   
“You took quite a tumble onto the marble floor. Does your head hurt?” Goolsby asked me.   
I looked around and had to remember what had happened.   
“I’m pregnant?” I said. The words sounded foreign and tinny in my mouth.   
Goolsby nodded. “I saw the test, you are definitely knocked up.”  
Papa curled his lip at Goolsby’s choice of words. “Can you get her a glass of water?” he said.   
I added “Please?” and Gools was off to the kitchen. Papa stayed by me and kept stroking my hair, speaking to me gently.  
“This is big Bellissima. I have never had a woman fall pregnant with me before. Surprising really, after all these years.”  
“You know that it might not…”  
“I know,” he snapped. “But you are mine and I would like to raise our child together.”   
I nodded and Goolsby came back into the room. I pulled myself up and leaned against the pillows. I took the water and gulped it down.   
“I just want to go to sleep. My head doesn’t hurt and I don’t think I have a concussion.” I put the glass on the nightstand. “Really, I just want to be alone to process this for a bit.”   
I climbed off the bed to the light chiding of the men but assured them over and over that I’d be alright. I left the room quickly, worried that one of them would try to follow me, and slipped into my wing, clicking the lock behind me.   
Pregnant? How was I going to make sure the baby was okay without an ob/gyn? What if something went wrong and one or both of us died when I tried to give birth? What would the other men say when the baby came out looking just like one of them? How would I keep a baby safe in this new world if my company couldn’t get control over the dead?   
The questions swirled and swirled in my head and I began to feel dizzy again. I even began to feel nauseous. I went to my bed, climbing beneath the covers in only my shirt and panties to rest.   
I was surprised that I fell asleep so easily. I was sure I would be up all night stewing, but I guess building a human is a hard job and I needed the rest. I woke to someone sitting on the bed next to me. I opened my eyes and thought at first it was Papa but came to my senses and saw that Alpha had joined me.   
“How did you get in here?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep. I propped myself up on my elbows.  
“It’s nice to see you too,” he joked. He pulled on a chain around his neck and a skeleton key came up from inside his jacket. “I can go anywhere in the house.”   
“Mmm.” I lay my head back on the pillow and looked at him with his mask on. He cocked his head, wondering what I was thinking.   
“Can you take that off for a minute?” I asked motioning to his mask.   
“Yeah, sure.” He pulled it up and over his head revealing his blond hair and blue eyes. “Everything okay?”  
“That depends on your definition of ‘okay’.”  
He furrowed his brow. “What’s going on?”  
I took his hand and placed it on my lower belly. “Congratulations,” I said to him.   
He stared at me for a long moment then broke into a huge smile. He leaned over to nuzzle my belly. “Are you sure?” he asked.  
I nodded. “Papa and Goolsby saw the test too. I am pregnant.”  
His smile faded a bit. “I wish I was there to find out with you,” he said. “I just have a feeling that this baby is mine.” He kissed my still flat stomach.  
“I don’t know and right now I am so tired I don’t care,” I rolled over onto my side. Alpha just sat there, quite.   
“Well, are you gonna lay down and snuggle me or not?” I asked.  
He pulled off his black shoes and climbed onto the bed with me, holding me tight while I wondered what I was going to do.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This new revelation lights a fire under Rayna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been missing for a bit, the holidays have been kicking my ass, but there will be more to the story. Enjoy the Ghost documentary that comes out tomorrow and I will be back after Christmas. :)

The next day I went about my business and tried to ignore the feeling that they were all staring at me. I was finishing the clean up from lunch when I saw Davey in the garden. He was pulling weeds and he was alone. I guessed it was as good a time as any to tell him the news… if Nim hadn’t gotten to him first.   
I went out to the garden through the double doors off of the kitchen. Davey saw me and smiled brightly.   
“Hey,” he said standing up and wiping dirt from his hands. “How’s it going?” He embraced me when I approached him and gave me a peck on the mouth.   
It took me a minute to get up the nerve to tell him.   
“So, remember our night by the fire?” I began.  
He grinned and pulled me closer. “Yeah, it was nice.”  
“It was very nice,” I said. “Well...I’m pregnant and it happened right around then so there’s a chance it’s yours.” I couldn’t read the look on his face. It was somewhere between confusion, shock, and joy. He wrapped his arms around me a squeezed until I nearly couldn’t breathe.  
“You’re crushing me,” I managed to say.   
He pulled back but still held me. “Sorry. When did you find out? Are you excited?”  
He was so cute and so happy, I didn’t want to rain on his parade. “I found out yesterday.”  
He watched me expectantly, waiting to hear what else I had to say on the matter. When I didn’t answer he stepped back and took my hands in his.   
“It’s going to be okay. You know that none of us would let anything hurt you,” he said, “or the baby.”   
“I know but what kind of life is it going to be for a child to grow up confined to one house? It would be so sad for a kid to grow up here trapped behind these walls, never being able to have a normal life.”  
I saw sadness in Davey’s eyes.   
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to bring you down, I just want the best I can give this kid.”  
He nodded. “He or she will have the best of everything. We’ll all see to it,” he said.   
I stood on my toes to kiss him and tried to put a smile on my face. “I was thinking about something and I wanted to know what you thought before I mentioned it to anyone else.”  
He placed his hands on his hips and listened closely.   
“I need to get back to Austin and into the lab.”  
He was going to speak but I cut him off.   
“I know it’s a long trip and it’s dangerous but just before the outbreak my boss was working on a serum to stop the secondary animates. I don’t know how far he got but if I can get back there and finish what he started I might be able to stop this shit.”  
He stared at me hard, the wheels in his head turning.   
“I don’t think Emeritus is going to let you leave the house again after the last time, especially now. He was crazy when we got back and you didn’t. I don’t even want to tell you what he said to us all for not keeping a closer eye on you.”  
“I know, that’s why I need you to help me convince him,” I pleaded.  
Davey looked down at the ground and I knew he was debating.   
“This could be your baby. I want a better world than this for him or her,” I said knowing that would bring him over to my side.   
He nodded and swiped his hand over his mouth.  
“Okay, I’ll do it. I don’t know that I’ll carry much weight with him so you’ll probably need at least one of the ghouls to get on board too.”

That night at dinner Emeritus stood near the end of the meal and raised his glass.   
“Gentlemen, some of you are already aware but I want to share some news with you.” He reached out for my hand and had me stand next to him with my glass full of juice. “The lady of the house is expecting. I am overjoyed and look forward to this new life that will be joining us. Cheers.”   
I could read shock all over Bobby and Jimmy’s faces. Obviously, I couldn’t tell the reactions of the ghouls who were just finding out but I figured their faces looked about the same. We drank and Papa and I sat back down.   
In the kitchen with Alpha after the meal, he was already talking about names. As he rambled on I allowed myself to entertain thoughts of what having a baby would be like. With the dead roaming the Earth my preparation would look very different from a regular mother’s. Instead of picking out furniture and deciding between what color to paint the nursery, I would be making sure there was always a loaded gun around in case something got in and runs for baby food would be a pain in the ass.   
“We could always name him Jagger in homage to our dance on the roof in New York,” Alpha said with a laugh.   
“At least there wouldn’t be any other children around to make fun of him,” I said. It was a joke but Alpha became quiet.   
“That’s a shitty thought,” he said.  
“I know. I am thinking of a way to make all of this right, though,” I said. I put my dish towel down and turned to him. He was listening but still washing at the same time.   
“My boss is dead,” I said firmly, “but if I can get back to Rest-or I might be able to get rid of these monsters.”  
He dropped the glass he was working on and it shattered on the floor. He motioned for me to get back and went to the butler’s pantry for the broom. As he knelt down to sweep up the shards he spoke.  
“Why didn’t you mention before that you knew of a way to end all of this?”  
“I don’t know how to end it, but I’m hoping David left enough behind that I can figure it out.” I paused. “I guess you could say I have a new motivation.”  
He dumped the glass into the trashcan and replaced the broom to its spot. When he came back he placed one hand on his hip and the other on the edge of the counter.   
“I can’t do anything from here. I have to get to the lab to see what David had come up with. The last time I spoke with him he said the place was overrun. My hope is that maybe they’ve moved on and I can get inside,” I said.  
“If we can convince Emeritus, and that’s a big ‘if’ then we’re going to need help to make that trip.”

That evening I went to Papa’s room. He had just gotten out of the shower and was drying himself off with a towel.   
“Ah, Bellissima, how are you feeling?” he greeted me with a deep kiss.   
“I’m feeling good… for now,” I said. I watched him comb his hair with the towel wrapped around his waist. I examined his chest and his arms as he worked. I started to feel a little warm but kept my mind on the task at hand.   
Papa smiled at me admiring him in the mirror. I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, planting a kiss on his right shoulder. He leaned his head over to nuzzle against mine.   
I watched him fix his hair where our heads had touched and when he was done he narrowed his eyes at me playfully.  
“What are you gunning for, Bellissima?” he asked seeing right through me.   
“I need to get back to Austin” I told him with a smile on my face.   
Immediately he shook his head. “No.”  
“You told me that you don’t control me,” I said. “I NEED to get back there to my lab.”   
He turned around to face me. “It nearly killed me when you didn’t come back from your run. I can not go through that again.”   
“I know you were worried but this is really important to me. I have Davey and Alpha’s support. I’m not backing down on this one.”  
“I do not care if you have the support of the devil himself. We are not going that far with you in your condition.”  
His protective instincts were infuriating.  
“We can’t take a baby on the road and I wouldn’t go anywhere without it once it’s born. Now is the time. I know I can make this trip. If we drive straight through and stop only for gas we can be there in about a day and a half.”  
“That is if we get there at all, Bellissima.”  
I furrowed my brow and pleaded with my eyes. He pursed his lips together. “Let me think about it and talk logistics with the ghouls. We would need more than the cars I have at my disposal.”  
“Thank you for considering it,” I said and gave him a kiss. That made him smile and I left the room hopeful. 

For several days there was no more talk of the trip to Austin. I didn’t want to press but I was becoming impatient. I figured the sooner we went, the better. I was sitting in the courtyard reading, enjoying the cool breeze, and letting the sun shine on my face when my door opened and Papa came through. He took a seat next to me on the concrete bench and I put my book to the side. He looked worried.  
“Bellissima, I have news about the journey you wish us to undertake.”  
On one hand, this perked me up but on the other, the look in his eyes seemed that it wouldn’t be good.   
“Okay, tell me,” I said, steeling myself.   
“We might be going to Austin…”  
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” I hugged him tight but he did not hug me back as I had expected. “What’s wrong?”  
He sighed. “We need larger vehicles than we have and the only safe way to procure them is with the assistance of the church.”  
I didn’t understand what he meant.  
“I have called my higher-ups, the old ones, they have what we need, and they are coming here. When they arrive tomorrow they will be very critical of this journey. They will want to know everything you can tell them about how you intend to stop these abominations.”  
“I can tell them what I know but I don’t have a concrete answer just yet,” I said.   
“I am aware of this and you must keep in mind that they might not allow you to make the expedition.”  
“Why?”   
He lowered his eyes and cleared his throat. “They want to protect the heir,” he said simply. “Unless you can give them good reason to believe this odyssey will be fruitful, they will deny the request.”  
I felt numb. It was hard enough that I was going to have this child that I wasn’t sure I wanted in the beginning but as soon as I started feeling protective of it there were people coming to tell me what I could and couldn’t do. This might be a problem.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayna helps Papa relax and the old ones arrive.

That evening Papa insisted I sleep in his room. He tossed and turned all night and we didn’t fool around. That alone told me how nervous he was for the arrival of the old ones. Other than my return from my ill-fated trip out I hadn’t even really seen him worry. It made me scared for what I would be facing.  
When I got up, it was later than usual, I hadn’t gotten much sleep either. I dressed in the white gown I’d worn during our ritual. It was the only nice bit of clothing I had. I did my best to style my hair into the waves I’d had done in New York. It was close but nowhere near professional. I used one of Papa’s brushes and black make up to line my eyes and called it a day.  
He was rushing around the bathroom and closet looking frantic and it was driving me crazy. I stepped to the closet door to block him from coming out and put my arms around him.  
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered into his neck. He was still tense so I pushed him back against the wall of shelves where his shoes were all lined up neatly. He didn’t say anything but let me do my best to relax him. I got on my knees on the carpet and ran my hands over his hips and legs. When I went for the button on his pants he put his hand over mine.  
“I’m not sure that I can at the moment, Bellissima. I don’t want to disappoint you,” he said looking down at me.  
“You don’t have to do anything for me. Just enjoy it.”  
He moved his hand away and let me get back to work. I undid his pants and brought him out. It took a minute but he was soon back to his old self. I looked up into his eyes as I slid my mouth down on him. I reached my hands around to grab his ass and pull his hips toward my face. He steadied himself by holding onto the shelves behind him as I slowly ran my mouth over his cock.  
I tickled his thighs and wrapped my fingers tightly around his base. Soon his knees were bending and he was thrusting slightly. I pulled my mouth back, keeping it open, and stuck out my tongue. I continued stroking him but quickened my pace. His eyes were closed but I whispered, “Watch.”  
He looked down at my face as he let go on to my cheeks and tongue. The groan that escaped his throat was amazing and I knew that later I was going to have to make him return the favor. I licked him lightly as his twitching slowed and rose from the floor when he released a deep sigh. He kissed my lips.  
“Thank you, Bellissima.”  
I cleaned myself up and he finished getting ready at a less frenetic pace. I waited for him in a chair by his fireplace. When he emerged from the bathroom he looked very handsome and when he stuck out his arm and I slipped mine into it. He led me down the hall to the ballroom and we both took a deep breath before opening the doors and going in. 

No one else was in the room yet but choral music played softly. The beds that had been set up for our ritual were gone and replaced by pews. At the altar, I helped him straighten his robe and placed his miter on his head. He looked amazing and I know the vestments helped him feel more powerful.  
Omega came through the doors at the end of the aisle and propped them open. He let us know that they had arrived and I took a seat in the front pew. The rest of our ghouls came in and took seats as well. The other men weren’t included in this process. Alpha sat beside me. Then the music became louder as two ghouls in white came through the doors.  
My eyes were fixed on the entryway, the anticipation killing me. I could smell the incense before I could see the man holding the thurible. When he came through the open doors he looked like something out of an old movie. His hat was gray, his robes were black and white, even the three chained censer he carried was silver. The only detail on him that showed he hadn’t stepped out of an old horror film was the emerald green silk lining his sleeves.  
As he approached, the ghouls around me rose to their feet and I did the same. The incense smelled so good and it was helping me calm down until he got near me. I had seen him perform before and spoken with him very briefly but in this setting he made me shiver. When he looked into my eyes and gave me a smirk the chill he elicited was more fear than arousal but that was definitely in there somewhere. Papa II continued up to the altar and placed the thurible gently on its small stand then stood in front of his chair waiting for the others.  
The next man to come through the door appeared much older but still moved just fine. I had never seen him in person before. Papa Emeritus I passed us without notice and took his place at his seat. Our last guest took significantly longer to get down the aisle and I was scared he wouldn’t even make it that far.  
Papa Zero held his oxygen mask to his face and shuffled, with the help of two ghouls in white, along the red carpet. He nodded to all of us as he finally got to the front of the room. I wasn’t sure how he made it up the stairs but once behind the podium, he shooed the ghouls in white away with a gnarly hand and my Papa bowed deeply to him before taking his place beside his predecessors.  
“Ciao, figli miei,” he spoke in a voice beyond a growl.  
With his greeting, we all took our seats in our pews. I wanted so desperately to take Alpha’s hand as he sat beside me but Papa had warned me against showing any sign of affection to anyone but him while the others were around. Zero began his speech and Alpha leaned in close to translate for me.  
“My fellow clergymen and I have come to assess your request to travel from the compound to another part of the country. In light of the news of an heir to the popedom, and the conditions we observed on our journey to this place, we are not inclined to entertain such a request.”  
My heart sank. His words also made me wonder what would happen if the baby was a girl. Would they still welcome her?  
“We will give the lady of the house a chance to explain her reasoning for such a request but we suspect that no good would come of sending our men on a mission of death.”  
I was having a panic attack. My ears were ringing and my chest felt like it would collapse in on itself. I couldn’t hear much more of what Alpha was translating to me. It was all on me now. I looked up at the altar where my Papa sat and he wouldn’t look at me. He kept his eyes focused on Zero through the speech. It was then that I decided that if they wouldn’t give us permission, I would have to go alone and ask forgiveness. 

The service concluded and the men, including Papa III, went out the door together. I was left with the ghouls and Alpha walked with me out to the front garden.  
“There’s no way they’re going to let us go,” I said sadly to him.  
He turned his mask to the sky then looked at the walls around us. We could hear decedents wandering around just on the other side of them.  
“I am behind you in this and I hope you can convince them. Zero is very no-nonsense. You’ll do well not to joke with him. Papa I has humor in him but it is very dark and hard to get to. You’ll have the easiest time with Papa II.”  
The thought of his eyes on me in the chapel made my heart skip a beat.  
“Why do you say that?” I asked.  
Alpha looked at me with a twinkle in his eye. “Because he is weak when it comes to beautiful women, even more so than III.”  
I shook my head. “I’m not going to do anything with him just to get to Austin, I’d find another way.”  
“If they say no, then they will take you with them when they leave to be sure you don’t attempt it on your own. They don’t take kindly to people disobeying their rules and Emeritus has told them that you are… spirited.”  
Could this get any worse?  
I was weighing the idea of getting in a car right then and leaving before I could even meet with them but before I made up my mind, it was made up for me. Omega appeared at the door to the garden and motioned for us to follow him.

We went into the house down a hall away from the living quarters. My Papa stood at a large carved door, nearly identical to his own, with his hands behind his back. When he saw me he rushed down the hall. Alpha and Omega said goodbye and left.  
“They are ready to speak with you,” Emeritus said. “Tell them what you know, what you can do when we arrive there.”  
He still seemed worried but now he was also determined and angry.  
“I know that you can do this.” He kissed me firmly then opened the door letting me enter first. I found the older men sitting behind a long, dark wooden table and there was a matching chair in the middle of the floor facing them. It reminded me of some of the oral exams I’d had in college and I tried to think of it like that.  
“You may leave now, little brother,” Papa II said.  
My Papa gave him a dark look through squinted eyes and walked me to my chair anyway. We exchanged a knowing glance and he left, shutting the door silently behind himself. I saw Papa II looking at me with a lascivious sparkle in his eyes and I crossed my legs, pulling my skirt down to cover them as much as I could.  
When Zero spoke his gravelly voice and milky stare made my stomach ache. Papa II translated for him.  
“He wants to congratulate you on your new addition,” Papa II said sounding annoyed, “and he wants to know why this travel is necessary.”  
I took a deep breath and began to speak.  
“I worked at the laboratory where this started. I was involved with the reanimation of the original decedent…” I explained to them about the chips in the reanimates and how the serum David was working on would stop the ones without the implants. I pulled out every scientific word I could think of and stressed to them how high up my position in the lab was.  
I thought I was getting through to them. At times Zero’s face even looked empathetic, his white eyes worried. I kept talking, and once there was nothing more to say I began repeating myself. Eventually, Papa I held up a hand.  
“We have heard what you are telling us,” he said curtly. “Now we will debate on the matter.” He turned to his fellow clergymen and opened his mouth, then he looked back to me.  
“You may go.”  
I got out of the chair and resisted the urge to run to the door. Outside, in the hallway, I sighed and felt like I hadn’t taken a breath since I’d begun speaking. In the living room, I found a worried Papa on the couch. Davey and Alpha were on the other. They all stood as I came in, expecting to hear what had happened.  
“They’re talking about it,” I said. “I did the best I could.”

Alpha and I were preparing a special feast with the ingredients the old ones had brought to us. They had spices and milk and even fresh meat, things we hadn’t eaten in ages. It all looked so delicious and I was sad that my stomach was in too tight a knot to enjoy it. There was so much food that Omega and one of the white-clad ghouls helped us bring it to the table.  
The table had been extended to fit our guests and the best china had been put out for them. Zero sat at the head of the table with Papa I at the other end. I sat between my Papa and II. No one mentioned the outcome of their discussion, instead, they toasted and ate their feast like it was just another evening of decadence.  
Davey, Goolsby, and the other men who weren’t part of the clergy ate dinner in the smaller, less formal dining room and I knew they were angry at not being included. I was kind of surprised that I was allowed at the table.  
Dinner seemed to drag on forever. I sat quietly unless one of them addressed me directly and I didn’t understand half of the conversation because it was in Italian. Papa II was giving me heavy sexual vibes and every once in a while he would pretend to pick his napkin up from his lap to swipe at his mouth but he’d run the back of his hand along the side of my right thigh. It didn’t bother me enough to tell him to stop and I didn’t want to admit to myself that it gave me a bit of a thrill.  
The fourth or fifth time he did it, he pushed my dress up higher on my legs. I looked over at him and found him giving me that dark smirk. I crossed my left leg over the top of my right and ran my foot gently against his leg. His smirk faded quickly and he began to breathe faster at the table. He swallowed some more wine and didn’t touch me again.  
After dinner, the Popes once again disappeared into the meeting room. I went to my quarters and took a shower to relax. When I was done I began to organize my stuff. You would think that it was because I had hope they would let us go but really it was more like an escape plan. If word came back that they refused, I was going to have my things ready and leave as soon as I could. If they tried to stop me or take me away, they were going to have to kill me.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa II gets rough with Rayna.

There was a knock on the door as I was packing and my heart stopped in my chest. I wanted the answer and didn’t at the same time. I went to the door and opened it with my head held high. It wasn’t any of the clergy I found there, but Goolsby standing in the hall.  
“Can I come in?” he asked.  
I stuck my head out the door and didn’t see anyone else around but I knew that if they found him in my room the deal would be off. I stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind me.  
“What’s up?” I asked.  
“Have you heard anything?”  
I shook my head no. “Nothing yet.”  
“Do you think they’re going to let us go?” he asked.  
I gave him a shrug and leaned back against my door.  
“I’m not sure. Papa I seems the most opposed but the other two are giving me mixed signals. I…”  
Our talk was cut off when Papa II came around the corner to the hall.  
“Ah, Rayna, just who I was hoping to find.” He stopped in front of us and held out his hand to Goolsby.  
“We have not met but I am a fan of your music,” he said.  
I could tell Gools was a little freaked out but he responded in kind.  
“Thank you. I’m a fan of your as well. Do you know if we’re going to be allowed to travel or not?”  
He wasn’t pulling any punches. It kind of turned me on to see him so forceful.  
Papa II glanced in my direction.  
“I have come to ask the lady a few more questions but I think we will have a decision shortly.”  
Goolsby looked from him to me and I could tell he was wondering if he should intervene.  
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” I said opening my door. Papa II did not enter.  
“I invite you to my chamber for our conversation,” he said. It was worded like an invitation but I knew I had no choice.  
“It’s fine,” I whispered to Gools as I sht my door.  
He didn’t look convinced but turned and went down the hall to the men’s quarters.  
I took Papa II’s hand when he offered it to me and he led me through the house back to the hallway where the meeting room was. He opened his door and I found a dark living area filled with beautiful paintings and furniture even older than that in the rest of the house. He shut the door and turned the lock. I swallowed hard, knowing this wasn’t just going to be a friendly chat.  
“I don’t know what else I can tell you that I haven’t already, I can answer any questions you have but I’ve told you all I know.”  
“I know this. We are at a standstill for the moment. One yay and one nay. I am the holdout so far but I want you to… convince me.” He stepped closer and his last two words were breathy.  
I was torn. He was darkly attractive, there was no doubt about that and I wouldn’t mind fucking him but I didn’t know that I was willing to do it just to get where I was going. Even women who love sex have their limits.  
I watched him light a fire in the fireplace and decided to change my thought process. Two birds, one stone. The guys had all been too distracted lately for me to get any one on one time with them and the act I’d carried out on Emeritus III had just made it worse.  
“What kind of ‘convincing’ would you like?” I asked, my voice as smooth as butter. “I have a feeling you’re into the kind of convincing that could leave marks.”  
He took off his miter and sat it on the coffee table, then pulled his green and black robe up over his head. He was in black pants and a vest with a white button-up underneath, and his leather gloves. Oh, those damn gloves. As he moved closer and examined the lines of my face he stopped.  
“We have met before…” he said through narrowed eyes.  
I was shocked. “Very briefly at a record signing in Austin,” I said. “I wasn't able to say much, meeting you was a little overwhelming.”  
“Yes, I knew I’d seen you before.” It was his regular, light voice then he realized what he was doing and went back to his dark, intimidating one. “Do I still scare you?” he asked.  
I swallowed hard. Yep, he sure as hell did. “Only because I’m worried you will vote for us not to go to Austin. I am not scared of you as a man.”  
“Perhaps you should be,” he grinned. “What if… I told you I had already made up my mind about your odyssey?”  
My mouth dropped open.  
“What if I told you I have already decided that you may go?”  
“Thank you!” I said. I nearly hugged him but stopped myself, he didn’t seem like the hugging type. “If you already decided then why are we here?”  
“My brother, he adores you. When I arrived here yesterday and saw you standing as I entered the chapel, I could see why. I thought it would be easier for you if I gave you no choice but to…” he searched for a word, “submit. That way he wouldn’t be as hurt when I turned you out.”  
“I’m not sure you realize that I’m not as sweet as you think,” I said.  
He moved toward me the last little bit and brought his arms around my waist, tugging me against his body.  
“That’s what I was hoping,” he growled.  
He kissed me hard and as our mouths connected his hands were busy unzipping my dress. It was down off my shoulders and he was going for my bra. There was no romance, no sweet talk. I liked it.  
We parted and he grabbed my hand, dragging me to the bedroom. When we got in he shut the door and began unbuttoning his vest.  
“Get rid of those,” he ordered pointing to my panties.  
I did as I was told and stood waiting for his next command. He kicked off his shoes and was in his white button up and pants. He moved past me to an armoire in the corner, none of the other bedrooms I’d been in had had one. He opened the doors and revealed all manner of restraints and toys that made me shake like a leaf. He pulled out a length of black rope.  
“Lift your arms.”  
I did as I was told and he stood on the end of his ornate four poster bed to run the rope through an unassuming metal ring sticking out from the ceiling. He then bound my wrists and tied it all together. I was left standing there, exposed, and at his mercy.  
“Are you frightened now?” he growled.  
“Now I’m wondering when you’re going to quit talking and get to work,” I moaned.  
He began running his leather gloves along the underside of my raised arms. It tickled and I couldn’t get away. He moved around behind me and cupped my breasts, the cool leather against my nipples making me weak in the knees.  
He removed his hands suddenly and I heard a noise I couldn’t place. When the leather of his belt hit my ass I knew that it had been him removing it from his belt loops. It hurt but when the pain transformed into light stinging I could see what all the fuss was about. He smacked me one more time and then moved back to the armoire.  
“I want to use something on you but I am not sure what. You are not seasoned for more dastardly items…” he considered for a minute and I was silently begging him to hurry up and touch me again.  
“Ah, this is perfect,” I couldn’t see what he’d chosen but did notice a length of black fabric just before he put it over my eyes. The agony of waiting to feel what would happen next was killing me but soon enough I felt what he had in store.  
“These may feel harsh at first but they will grow on you,” he said. I felt his hands at my chest and jumped as he affixed clamps to each of my nipples.  
He was right, they were really tight, but I could hear him undressing and I let the sensation of the clamps work their magic.  
When he next approached me his gloves were gone and he placed a lubed hand on my pussy. I strained to rub against it but he kept pulling away from my limited movement and laughing lightly. After an eternity he made the full connection and slid his fingers inside of me. Once I was wet to his satisfaction he pulled his hand away again.  
The next thing I knew he’d lifted my left leg and shoved himself into me. I gasped and used my bindings to steady myself. There were no gentle strokes, this man was out for blood. It felt amazing but I wanted the blindfold off.  
“Can I see you?” I asked.  
He paused and pulled out. When he removed the fabric covering my eyes I was grateful. Seeing him made me want him more and he came at me roughly. This time he lifted both of my legs and snarled at me as he began to fuck me again. I usually needed my clit stimulated to come when I was having sex but the sensation of being at his mercy, the clamps, and the way he was manhandling me gave me a thrill and I knew I wouldn’t need it this time.  
My breaths became ragged and I moaned as he pounded against me. He could see that I was getting closer and he stopped.  
“No, no, please…” I begged.  
He smiled and stood back to watch me plead, stroking himself. My body calmed down after a couple minutes and he resumed his thrusting. Once more he took me right to the edge and then stepped away. I was so frustrated but there was nothing I could do but implore him to continue. He got to his knees in front of me and ran his tongue over my clit.  
My legs would hardly hold me and I was glad I had the ropes to keep me upright. Just before I tipped over the edge he stood up and filled me again. He didn’t stop this time thankfully and my legs shook hard as I came on him.  
Just before he was about to lose it he pulled out and came all over my stomach. I watched it drip down along my skin and savored the warmth as he finished.  
He took his time putting his clothing back on, glancing at me once in a while to smirk at the state I was left in. He even sat on the edge of the bed behind me and slowly tied his shoes. When he came around to my front he flicked the clip on my right breast and I shook, pulling away as much as I could. He gave a laugh before removing both clamps. After putting them away at a snail’s pace he returned to me and lifted his hands to untie my wrists.  
“I would love to see you walk back to your quarters like this,” he said, “But perhaps I will save that exquisite punishment for another time.”  
He held his hand out to usher me into his bathroom. Where everything in Papa III’s bathroom was white, this one was black. I stepped into the shower to clean up and he sat on his counter to watch.  
I put on a show for him, lathering my body and letting the water wash over me. I didn’t wash my hair, I didn’t want it to be so painfully obvious what had happened when I had to walk back across the house. He left for a minute as I dried myself and returned holding my clothes. i began to get dressed.  
“We are allowing you to return to your home city in an attempt to stop this plague,” he said. There was no growl, he spoke to me normally.  
I didn’t hold back this time, I hugged him wearing only my panties.  
“If you continue doing things like that you will never leave this room,” he said with an edge to his voice. He cleared his throat and continued, “We have secure vehicles to transport the provisions and people we will need to arrive there safely.”  
“We?” I asked.  
“Yes, they have decided I am to accompany you on your travels.”  
Shit.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the road.

We planned the trip carefully, avoiding large cities and areas that would likely be densely populated. The vehicles I’d been told about were SUV’s that the church had made specially for their travel and safety and they would get us back to Austin, hopefully, in one piece.  
I did one last check of my backpack and smiled when I saw the box with my bracelet from Papa in it. I zipped up the bag and put it over my shoulders. I hugged Nim, Bobby, Jimmy, and the ghouls goodbye on my way out to the garage. This trip would be me, Papa I and Papa II, Alpha, Davey, and Goolsby. We’d be in three SUV’s.   
Most of the gear was already loaded and I put my backpack in the front floorboard of the vehicle I’d be riding in with my Papa. Zero, Papa I, and the white ghouls were lined up to see us off. Papa I took my hand in his and cooly let me know that I’d better make the trip worth it but the kindness Papa Zero showed me was surprising.   
“Sii al sicuro nei tuoi viaggi, perche porti il futuro dentro di te,” he began. “Un giorno la Terra morira. Non sara nelle mani dei morti ma nelle mani dei viv. Ho fede in te.” He bowed his head to me and I did the same back at him.   
Papa III stood beside me and he translated what Zero had said. “Be safe on your travels, for you carry the future inside of you. One day, the Earth will die. It will not be at the hands of the dead but at the hands of the living. I have faith in you.”  
I looked into Zero’s blank eyes and felt like I might cry. His blessing and belief in me gave me even more incentive to get the job done. I climbed into the SUV and Omega opened the gate. We shouldn’t have to worry about hand to hand combat until we were required to stop and get gas.   
We had been driving for over a day and so far things had been quiet, the stops had been easy. We needed to get gas so we found a station that looked clear and pulled in. Davey and Alpha went in to turn the pump on and I got out to stretch. It was less than a minute before they came running out of the store, guns drawn.   
“Get the fuck out of here!” Alpha yelled. He got back into the car he’d been riding in and Goolsby gunned it. Davey got behind the wheel of the SUV carrying Papa II and pulled out next. A ton of decedents came pouring out of the double doors of the convenience store… straight for me. I froze. I stood there with my door open and my jaw on the ground.   
“God damnit, get in the car,” Emeritus screamed at me. When he fired off a shot over my shoulder at one that had run particularly close I snapped out of my stupor. I climbed into the car and before I had my door closed, he had slammed on the gas pedal. A woman missing half of her face managed to grab ahold of the door before I could get it shut and she held on as we went weaving down the road.   
The dead woman grabbed at my pants and I struggled to hold on tight enough to not fall out of the door. I hadn’t had time to put on my seatbelt. She clawed at my legs and I kicked furiously in an attempt to get her off of me.   
“What’s happening?” Davey’s voice came over the radio. “We’re pulling over.”  
Papa was trying to keep the giant vehicle on the road but also trying to hold onto me. The woman got a strong hold on my leg and bit down as hard as she could. I screamed and Papa slammed on the breaks sending me rolling into the floorboard.   
I was able to get my foot onto what was left of the woman’s face and shove her away far enough for him to shoot her in the forehead. Sour flesh and brain splattered on the door and her hands curled tighter around my pants. I tugged at her fingers desperately and finally got her to release my clothing.   
I was panting and shaking. The other two SUV’s were far ahead of us but they had stopped. When Papa looked at me the fear in his eyes was radiating. I reached down to where the thing had gnashed its teeth and pulled my pant leg up. She hadn’t gotten skin, she’d only managed to tear up the fabric. I didn’t even have a scratch. I closed the door and fastened my seatbelt as we pulled back onto the road. We caught up to the others and moved on until we found another gas station.   
At the next place we found Davey and Alpha went in ready for anything but luckily, found it empty. They turned on the pumps and we filled up our tanks. Papa III still hadn't said anything to me but Papa II climbed out of his car and came over to where I sat.   
“That looked like a close one,” he said. “Are you okay?”  
I nodded. He went around the car to talk to his brother and I took out my cell phone. I called David’s phone and I knew he wouldn’t answer but I had come to find just hearing his recorded voice a comfort.   
I heard yelling in Italian but by the time I got around to the other side of the car it was over and Papa II grabbed me by the arm, taking me to the SUV parked behind mine.   
“Get in the car,” he ordered. I did as he said without grabbing my stuff. Davey got in the back seat. I turned around to glance at him and he gave me a half smile but said nothing.   
I could feel anger rolling off of Papa II as he started the car and we got back on the road. I wanted to ask what had happened but I kept my mouth shut, as I didn’t want that anger turned toward me.   
Mile after mile rolled by and the sun dipped below the horizon. I lay my head against the window, watching the tail lights ahead of us on Papa III’s SUV, and wished I hadn’t followed orders.   
I dozed off staring out into the darkness. I wasn’t sure how long I had been asleep but suddenly I heard a gunshot from outside of the car. My eyes shot open just in time to see the car ahead of us begin to swerve and shake. He did his best to keep it steady but as he turned the wheel to keep it in line it tipped over and rolled.   
My fingers dug into the dashboard and I screamed for him.  
“Stop!” I demanded but Papa II just pressed the gas harder. “What the hell are you doing?” I pounded my hands against his shoulder and he hit out at me, shoving me back into my seat.   
“Stop it!” he growled.  
Davey took hold of my shoulders.  
“There are people coming out of the tree line,” he said.  
I turned to look out the back window and saw Emeritus climb out of the window of the crashed SUV. He didn’t appear hurt but we were moving away so quickly that I couldn’t really tell. There were people coming out of the trees but they were living, there were many more of them than us, and they were armed to the teeth.   
A shot rang off of our bumper and I ducked. The windows were bulletproof, good work church, and luckily we’d gotten far enough away that it was harder to hit us. The SUV behind us was also racing down the road, tires intact, but He was left alone and I felt like I would lose it. Davey let go of my shoulders when he saw that I wouldn’t interfere with II’s driving anymore.   
I couldn’t do anything but stare, my eyes unfocused, and try not to imagine what would happen to him. We were just outside of Lubbock and we’d have a good 5 or 6 hours ahead of us. I felt the walls of the SUV closing in on me.


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive at Rest-or.

We circled Rest-or a couple of times before we stopped a block over and parked to map out a plan. There were a good bit of them around the building but I wouldn’t call it overrun anymore. When Papa II, Davey, and I got out to join the others in their car I noticed that Goolsby’s window had been hit by a bullet. I was very thankful that the church had helped us but now I wished I had stayed back at the compound. I could have lived there with the guys and the baby… and Papa. I shoved the thought away and vowed I would do everything I could to get this done. I owed it to him.   
“I say we go in first and then when it’s clear we bring Rayna in,” Goolsby said.   
“That won’t work,” I told them plainly. “The doors were all closed. The only way to get inside is to enter a code that opens a fingerprint scanner. I have to be there to put my thumb on it.”  
I saw Papa II thinking and I glared at him.  
“You’re not cutting off my fucking thumb.”  
He shrugged.   
“Then we’ll just have to do what we would with the wall, clear them out until we can get you up there,” Davey said.   
This garnered nods from the others so we got out and armed ourselves. When we had what we needed we moved the cars back around to the main entrance. The decedents didn’t to notice us too much until we stepped out. Then they turned and started lurching in our direction. They didn’t seem as powerful as freshly turned animates but they were still moving just fine. Our group split in two moving in opposite directions around the building until there were no more of the dead left. At that point, there were a few coming toward us from the surrounding neighborhood but they were easily picked off.   
I got to the keypad and entered my ID. The light behind the buttons flashed red and I tried again. Again it didn’t open. I began to panic. Had I really come all this way just to be stopped by this piece of shit? I ran through what the problem could be in my mind and then I remembered that David said he was in the lockdown room. In the case that that should happen you had to enter an emergency code before your regular code. I punched in the additional numbers and the light turned green opening a small door and pressed my thumb to the plate. The door clicked and I grabbed the handle.   
“It’s open!” I called to the guys.   
Alpha and Papa II went in first and Davey and Goolsby came in after me. There were several of the dead wandering the lobby and they were dispatched quickly. I noticed that one of them was the door guy, John, and I sighed heavily. I hoped that David wasn’t roaming the halls somewhere, it would break my heart to have to end him. It would only be right for it to be me though, he’d made me promise him I would if anything ever happened to him.   
I pointed to the stairwell leading up to the lab and we moved together watching all around us. The first couple of floors were fine but then we heard a screech echo against the concrete walls and a body landed in front of me on the stairs. The woman’s legs were messed up but she still fought and clawed her way towards me on the floor. I refused to let fear take hold of me this time and placed my pistol to her forehead. When I pulled the trigger the sound reverberated in the space and I stepped over her to keep going. On the fifth floor, Davey opened the door to the hallway. I saw one moving near the door to the lab. It was wearing a white coat and its hair was so bloody and matted I couldn’t tell what color it was supposed to be.   
“Wait,” I whispered to my group.  
I came up behind it quietly, placed a hand on its shoulder to turn it around then jumped back aiming at it. To my surprise, it wasn’t David but the young guy who had taken my job while I was on the tour. I was relieved and saddened at the same time. I shot him in the head and he dropped like a sack of dirty laundry.   
I got to the door of the lab and looked through the glass window. There were at least 12 of them in the medium-sized room. I motioned for the others to join me and they crowded around where I stood.   
“We have to clear them out of there,” I said.   
“Easy,” Alpha said cocking his gun and moving for the door handle.   
I stopped him.   
“It doesn’t look like they’ve really broken anything, but there is equipment that I need in there and if it gets all shot up I can’t do anything.” I pulled my hatchet from my belt. “We have to go hand to hand to do as little damage as possible in there.”  
“We’ll draw them out into the hall, there’s more room to work out here,” Goolsby offered.  
I nodded and waited for everyone to arm themselves then I entered my code again and pulled the door open, standing behind it. They guys made loud noises and the dead noticed. They started for the door but got stuck as they all tried to wedge through at once. Davey kicked at them, pushing them back a bit, and on their second try, they managed to get through.  
Only one noticed me behind the door and I let go of the door to shove him back hard before splitting his head with my small ax. There was more yelling and I heard a sickening thud. When I managed to step over the dead man in front of me I noticed that while most of the dead had been put down one had managed to back Alpha over the one I’d shot in the hall and it was now on top of him. Goolsby came up behind the guy and hacked at him with a machete. He got the decedent off of Alpha but they were both in a panic. Davey and Papa II had finished at the far end of the hall and returned to where we crowded around Alpha.   
“Go. I’m fine, go,” he said to me, motioning to the door of the lab. Davey and Papa led the way in and when they found it clear I followed. Things had been shoved out of place but everything appeared to be in working order. I went to David’s desk and found that the laptop he would usually hook up to his larger monitor was missing. I searched his drawers, my desk, and everywhere I could think of trying to see if he’d hidden it but it was nowhere to be found.   
I looked over at the door of the panic room. It had been there the entire time I’d worked there. I could see it from my desk. It was just another part of the background in those days but now it seemed ominous. I didn’t want to see David dead but I had to know if he’d taken it in there with him. I approached the door, hatchet in hand, and entered the emergency code, then my ID number.   
The thick metal bars that served as deadbolts keeping the door closed slid back and I reached for the handle. I turned the wheel and pulled the heavy door. It swung open surprisingly easily for its weight and I looked into the dark room. There was no movement. I began to step forward into the darkness when I heard a moan. I moved back but put my arm out to stop Papa II from shooting.   
“Davey, do you have your light?”  
He pulled a Maglite from the loop on his belt and turned it on, training it into the darkness. When the light hit David’s back he was facing the wall.   
“David?” I said to him gently.   
His head turned in my direction and he mumbled, “Ray...na?”  
I took the light from Davey and moved closer to my boss. Once I was close enough to get a good look at his eyes I stepped into the panic room and took his hand. I helped him step out of the room and motioned to Goolsby, who’d just come in, to roll a desk chair over to us.   
I helped David sit down and he stared up at me like he’d seen a ghost.   
“Rayna, did I call you?” he said, his weak voice barely more than a whisper.   
“No, I came anyway. How long have you been in the dark?”  
He was pale and emaciated but he was alive. If I could get him talking he might be able to help me with the serum.  
“A week? The light burned out and then a couple days ago I ran out of food. I found the replacement bulb but when I climbed up to fix it I lost my balance and dropped it on the floor.”  
“Is your laptop in there?” I asked.   
He nodded. “It’s dead,” I didn’t have time to grab my chargers when they came in. I guess next time I’ll plan better.”  
I laughed lightly. “There’d better not be a next time.” I left Papa II holding David up and went to the room. With the flashlight, I found the computer quickly and rushed back to David’s desk to boot it up. Davey took a granola bar and a bottle of water from his backpack and began slowly feeding tiny bits of each of them to David.   
I got to the login screen and asked David for his password. He gave it to me and I was in.   
“How far did you get into making that serum you were talking about?” I asked him. He was gulping greedily at the bottle of water but DAvey pulled it away so he wouldn’t get sick.   
“I’d nearly finished the initial formula when the laptop died,” he said. His voice already sounded better just from drinking the water.   
I clicked through his files and found one called “Dismantling the Rest-or virus in secondary animates.”. When I opened it I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t as complicated as I’d worried it would be. The anti-virus he’d come up with would simply attack the viruses the dead had passed on to them and they’d die.   
I went to work while the men tended to David. I put in a good 45 minutes of work before I looked up and noticed Alpha had never come into the room. I got up and put the necessary components in the centrifuge, as much as I could fit, then went out to the hall to find Alpha.   
When I got out there I found him closing the door to the meeting room at the far end of the hall. He’d dragged all the dead in there so they weren’t in the way.   
“Are you okay? I think I’m on the right track with this. It could take a while to make enough to send across the country if it works but I think it’ll be okay.”  
I could see his eyes crinkle into a smile but it wasn’t a real one.   
“What’s wrong?” I thought about Papa III. “Oh, I know. I’ve been lucky enough to have a distraction but I know when I have a quiet moment I’m going to lose my shit again.”   
He took my hand and led me to the private bathroom across from the meeting room. Inside he shut the door but didn’t lock it then he turned to me and took his mask off.   
“We have another problem…” he said pulling off his jacket. He brought his undershirt up over his head and I found his shoulder swollen, an angry red ring circling a shallow bite wound. My heart dropped.   
“No. No!” I hugged him, careful not to touch the area. “I can fix it, come into the lab and…”  
“You can’t amputate a shoulder, Rayna,” he said softly.  
I clenched my eyes shut against his chest and tears rolled down my cheeks.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to save Alpha.

I left Alpha in the bathroom and returned to the lab to check on David and the centrifuge. He was more coherent and the anti-virus was almost done. He’d moved over to his desk and was working on his computer. I pulled another rolling chair over to where he sat so I could talk to him.  
“If we use this drug on someone who has been bitten but hasn’t turned, what would happen?” I asked him quietly.  
Goolsby glanced over at me and I could see in his face that he knew Alpha had been bitten.   
David quit typing and pondered this for a moment.   
“I hadn’t planned on utilizing it that way but, seeing as it should only affect the virus, it would be likely that the person would survive…”  
“That’s great,” I said.  
“Or it could end up causing healthy cells to burst open basically liquefying the subject from the inside out and causing them an agonizingly painful death.” He gave a quick nod. “Why do you ask?”  
“Nothing,” I said shaking my head. I got up from the chair and returned it to its place, then nodded toward the hall so Goolsby would follow me.  
“You knew, didn’t you? You knew he was bitten.”  
Goolsby didn’t want to meet my eyes. “I did, when I pulled him up off the floor I could tell. He didn’t want me to say anything. He felt you were distracted enough by what happened to…”  
I choked back tears and focused. “I think this stuff might be able to stop that shit before it kills him but it has to be fast. Go get him, please.”  
I went back to the lab and the centrifuge had stopped spinning. I pulled out one of the vials and put it at my workstation. I went to the inoculation counter and pulled open the drawers with sterile gloves in it, snatching a pair, then reached for a clean syringe.   
When Alpha came back in he looked terrible. His blonde hair was plastered to his head with sweat and there were dark circles under his eyes. I led him to the restraints.   
“I’m going to give you a shot. I think it will get rid of the virus and leave you alive,” I explained as I tethered each of his hands.  
“And what happens if it doesn’t work?”  
“You’re dead anyway if I don’t give it to you so what do you have to lose?”  
His face looked sad but he tried to smile at me when I knelt down to fasten his feet.   
“Hey,” he said.   
I looked up at him.  
“If this works, we’re going to have to get a contraption like this for the house,” he whispered.   
I was grateful for the joke and tried to chuckle as I stood up but there was no laughter in me.   
“If this doesn't work, shoot me. Don't let me become one of those things. Can I get a kiss for good luck?” he asked.   
I shook my head. “If it’s in your saliva already it could be transferred to me.” He nodded in understanding and I hugged him worried it would be for the last time.   
“What are you doing?” David asked coming up behind me.   
“I’m giving him the first dose,” I pointed at Alpha’s shoulder beneath his bloody shirt.   
“Rayna, I don’t know about that…” As he told me reason after reason why I shouldn’t inject Alpha I calmly slid on my gloves and prepared the needle.   
David had finished his speech and I rubbed alcohol on the crook of Alpha’s arm. I looked David dead in the eyes then turned back and plunged the needle into Alpha’s arm. I timed the shot, sending its contents in slowly.  
“It stings a little,” Alpha said his voice shaking.   
“I’m sorry,” I said to him. People say I’m sorry every day but this one held the weight of the world. When I was done I stood back to watch him. His head started to droop and his eyes rolled back in his head.   
“Hey, how’re you doing there?” Davey asked coming up behind me.   
“Alpha?” I said loudly. I checked the monitors and his vitals were fine, he was just unconscious. I ran my hand over his blond hair and did the sternum rub on him in an attempt to wake him. It didn’t work. I went back to the computer and read through everything again. I didn’t find any reason it would have knocked him out but I went back to him and double checked that his airway was open. It was but his head was hanging at an unnatural angle.   
“Guys, help me get him on the stretcher,” I called out. Goolsby and Papa II held him up while I undid his restraints. David kicked the brake on the stretcher to lock it closed and we all worked to heft Alpha onto it. When he was in place I locked the straps around him again. I didn’t know what was going to happen but I wasn’t taking any chances. I kept watch on the monitors and Davey came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.  
“You need to get some rest,” he said, his head on my shoulder.   
“I know. I just don’t want to leave him.”   
Davey placed his hand on my belly. “You know that he would want you to not drive yourself crazy. It’s not good for the baby.”  
I heard David drop something where he was working.   
“Rayna, you’re pregnant?” he asked shocked.  
“Yeah,” I said blushing.   
He looked at Davey then at Alpha then at Goolsby and Papa II. Luckily he didn’t congratulate anyone or ask any further questions.   
“You really should go lay down,” Goolsby said. “Is there another gurney or something?”   
“There’s a couch in the lounge,” I said. “If anything changes, good or bad… ANYTHING you have to come tell me immediately, I don’t care if I’m asleep.”   
They nodded and I reluctantly headed for the door. I closed the door to the lab and stretched as I strolled down the hall. Sleep sounded good but I doubted I’d be able to get any. I peeked into the surgical suite anti-room as I passed. I knew the guys had gone through and checked but I wanted to see for myself. Tucked away in the corner of the room I could see an ultrasound machine that our doctors used on the decedents to check that internal structures were intact before we began the reanimation process. I opened the door and went inside.   
I rolled the machine into the operating room and placed it next to the gurney before climbing on and laying down. The conductivity gel was cold on my lower stomach. The screen was black until I pressed the handpiece on my lower abdomen. I wasn’t trained in ultrasound and I was about to give up when a tiny white speck in the middle of a black circle appeared.   
I messed with the knobs and buttons on the machine until I magnified the picture. There was the little white blob with a flicker in the middle. I smiled through tears and stared at the image. I pushed some more buttons and managed to get the machine to print the image. I turned off the equipment and tore off the photo from the printer.   
I carried the picture down the hall with me toward the lounge and when I lay down on the couch I still couldn’t stop staring at it. I imagined what Emeritus would say if he could see it. He might be unimpressed with the weather system looking, black and white image or he would puff out his chest and smile proudly. Either way, I just wished he was there.  
Lost somewhere in my thoughts, I had dozed off. The door came open, hitting the wall and I bolted upright on the couch cushions. It was Papa II.  
“Get up, get your pistol,” he said before rushing to where I was laying and taking my arm.  
“Wha...? Is it Alpha?”  
“No, he’s the same. There are people outside.”


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think they were going to go away that easily, did you?

I got to my feet and he rushed back into the hall. I ran for the lab to get my gun, it had been stupid to leave it in there, and then went back to the window at the end of the hall where the men had gathered.   
There were cars and trucks of all shapes and sizes pulling into the lot in a long line and creating a barricade around the front of the building. When they stopped two men got out of a large red pick up and stared up at the building. They spotted us in the window and I instinctively pulled away. One of them was yelling something up but the windows were too think and they were too far away for us to understand.   
“I think it’s the people from the trees,” Davey said.   
My stomach turned. Had they managed to get Papa III to tell them where we were? I knew he’d rather die than put me at risk. I shoved that dark thought away and went for the stairs.   
“Rayna, what are you doing? You can’t let them in here,” David said.  
“I know that but if these are the people we saw I have to know what happened to Papa. I can talk to them over the intercom at the front desk.”  
“You’re not going down there alone,” Goolsby said as he held the stairwell door open for me.  
On the ground floor I opened the door just enough to peek into the lobby. It was empty but a man’s voice echoed through the space over the intercom.   
Goolsby and I stayed low as we moved to crouch behind the desk. I pressed the button and spoke to the strangers.  
“Hello. What do you want?” I asked.   
“Is this Rayna?”   
Goolsby and I exchanged shocked glances.  
“I think we have something YOU want,” the man said through the speaker, “but we’re not leaving until you open the doors.”  
Something I wanted? I looked up over the desk and saw that the man was holding my backpack. I thought of my bracelet but wasn’t ready to come out.   
“You can leave it and I’ll get it when you’ve gone.”  
“That’s fine miss but I gotta a guy here who needs to be inside before we go. I’m not leaving him outside alone.”  
A guy? My heart stopped.  
“Let me see him…”   
Goolsby and I moved up to watch as the man I’d been speaking to gave a signal and a door opened on a large white suburban near his truck. I saw one foot hit the pavement, then another. When the door shut I saw Emeritus come walking toward the glass entrance.   
I slammed my fist down on the button to open the door and ran out to greet him. He saw me and held his arms out as I jumped on him.   
“I thought I’d never see you again!” I held him so tight I’m sure I was crushing the poor man. He laughed at my enthusiasm.  
“When these kind people realized who I was they helped me complete the last leg of this journey. The devout are found in all corners of the world.”   
He put me down and shook the hands of the men who’d been at the door. The guy with my backpack handed it over to me.   
“Well, we were happy to do it, sir.”   
“Are you sure you do not want to come inside?’ Papa asked.   
“Naw, thanks. We like to stick to our neck of the woods.”   
“Be safe on your way home,” Papa told him shaking his hand one more time.   
I entered my numbers into the keypad and placed my thumb on the plate. The men watched us go inside and waited until the doors were safely closed to return to their truck. They gave a wave as they filed out of the lot.   
“I thought for sure you were dead,” I told Emeritus taking his face in my hands. Goolsby stood by watching us. When I let go of Papa he gave Goolsby’s hand a strong shake.   
“Glad you made it, man,” Gools said.  
The door to the stairs came open and Davey and David came out astounded. Papa II pushed past them and approached his younger brother. After a long moment of sizing one another up, they hugged.   
“You are nothing if not a tough son-of-a-bitch,” Papa II said.   
When they parted from the hold Papa III noticed who wasn’t there to greet him.   
“Where is he?” he asked.   
“He’s upstairs. He was bitten but he’s still alive. I treated him with the antiviral drug we made and I’m waiting for him to come to.”  
“Take me to him.”  
In the lab Papa III looked over his old friend. Alpha was holding steady but still out.   
“Will he wake up?” Papa asked me.  
“I don’t know.” 

“We need to find a decedent for an experiment. When we spray this on them, aim for their eyes and mouth, they'll absorb it,” David said. “It should knock them out as quickly as it did your friend.”  
David grabbed a pole with a long adjustable loop on the end from its stand and he, Goolsby, Davey, and Papa II went downstairs to find an unwilling participant in our drug trial. Papa III and I stayed with Alpha. I worked on the formula some more, trying to come up with a carrier agent we could use that would minimize the amount of the serum we would have to manufacture and cover a large population at the same time.   
I could hear Papa talking to Alpha but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I closed David’s laptop and went to where Papa sat next to the gurney. I pulled the little black and white ultrasound picture from my pocket and handed it to him.   
He took it and smiled. “It is healthy, yes?” he asked.   
“It appears to be. There was a heartbeat and everything.”  
“Do you hear that you stubborn bastard?” Papa said to Alpha. “A heartbeat. If this tiny thing can pull through then I know you sure as hell can.”  
I could have sworn I saw slight movement from Alpha’s right hand but it was faint and didn’t happen again. Papa handed me the picture back.   
“Ah, well, I guess he will see it later.”  
I pulled up a rolling chair from the nearest desk and sat to talk.  
“So what happened after the rollover?”  
He gave a chuckle. “Every car you saw in the lot was stolen. They would attack people passing through and take their vehicles. Those they couldn’t recruit came to a bad end. They knew who I was and they agreed to help me. It’s interesting what people will do for you when you sign their records.”  
“I really am amazed you’re here,” I said.   
“I will always do everything in my power to return to you, Bellissima.”   
“Il destino e la fortune restituiscono il mio bellissima a me. Right?”  
“Exactly. You look tired, have you been resting? I know the work you are doing is important but you need to stay healthy.”  
“I was actually asleep when you and your band of followers pulled up. It was quite a rude awakening.”  
“I am sorry. You can go back to sleep, I can stay with him,” he said looking down at Alpha.  
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind having you come lay with me for a few minutes…”  
He got my meaning and rose to take my hand. We went down the hall to the lounge and I hoped no one would walk in on us since there was no lock on the door. Their animate chasing adventure would likely take just long enough.  
Papa sat on the couch and I straddled his lap. I kissed him hard and he gripped my hips, pulling me down to grind against him.   
“You feel so good, Bellissima,” he moaned into my hair.   
I pulled my bra and shirt up giving him full access to my breasts and sighed heavily as he went to work kissing and sucking. I felt him hard against me and thought our little meeting might come to a conclusion before either of us even got our pants off.   
I reached down to rub his cock through his pants and he bucked up against me hard, nearly throwing me off balance. I laughed and held on tighter.   
“I can’t wait until all of this is over. I want to go back to the house and maybe even tour again. I just want shit to be like it used to be.”  
“Mmm hmm,” his mouth was still busy against my skin. I ran my fingers through his black hair, savoring all these feelings I never thought I’d feel with him again.   
I stopped suddenly and pushed him away, listening hard.   
“Wait, stop,” I said taking his hands off my body.   
“Let them catch us, Bellissima. I need you,” he had started to reach for the zipper on his pants but froze as he heard what I had. It was the heart monitor Alpha was hooked up to in the lab.  
I fixed my shirt and bra and ran down the hallway to the lab. Alpha’s eyes were open and he was struggling against the restraints. The monitor was going crazy because his heart rate was accelerated. I pressed the button to stop the alarm.  
“Shh, you’re okay. You’re safe,” I told him stroking his hair. This helped calm him down.  
“Thank god, Rayna. I thought you guys had left,” he said, his voice shaking.  
“We would never leave you. How are you feeling?”   
“I feel like I’m going to be sick.”  
I’d had more than one decedent tell me that when they returned so we kept vomit basins around just in case. I grabbed one from an overhead cabinet and sat it next to him on the bed. I heard footsteps against the tile as I unbuckled the straps holding Alpha down. He looked past me and his eyes widened.  
“I thought you were dead,” he said seeing Papa. Then he threw up everywhere.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An end and the beginning.

I had just finished cleaning up when the men came through the stairwell door yelling. It frightened me at first, I thought someone had been bitten, but I realized their loud voices were actually cheers of victory.   
“Rayna! Come here,” David called out to me.   
I left Papa talking with Alpha and went to the hall. At the window, I found several expired animates strewn about the parking lot.   
“It works,” I whispered, “we did it.”   
I turned to find Davey next to me smiling brightly. “Yeah, you did!” He hugged me tight and laughed heartily.   
“I’m going to get some of the big pharma companies on the phone. If they can each make a few lots of this stuff, I think it will be a good beginning to the end of this.”  
“Alpha is awake,” I told the men after David had gone to make his calls. “He seems to be fine.”  
“Very good. He was always my favorite,” Papa II said.   
Goolsby went down the way to the lab to see Alpha. They’d gotten off to a rocky start but after our night in the convenience store, they’d seemed to have bonded. I knew he’d been just as worried as I was that Alpha wouldn’t make it.  
I looked out over the lot littered with corpses. This hadn’t been my vision when I’d worked so hard to climb the ranks at Rest-or. I had done it to help people and give life. It made me sad to think of how much more death it had caused.   
David was on the phone when I got back to the lab. Davey, Goolsby, Alpha, and the brothers Emeritus were talking quietly. I felt like a weight was lifted. I knew it wasn’t over yet but there was an end in sight. With everyone busy doing their own things I slipped out of the lab and back to the couch. I pulled the little ultrasound picture out of my pocket and kissed it. This kid might have something resembling a normal life after all. 

It took nearly six months to make, distribute, and use the serum throughout the United States. In the rare instance that secondary animates were found in Canada or Mexico we had sent them free cases. I had gone back to California with the guys (David stayed in Austin) and life was pleasantly peaceful… for a while.   
I was laying in bed next to Papa III after we’d showered. He was looking through one of his many books and I was searching for baby stuff on the internet. We had decided not to find out the gender of the baby and there wasn’t alot of cute gender neutral stuff that wasn’t green or yellow.  
“They need really cute black baby clothes,” I said to him.  
“Don’t worry Bellissima. He will be fitted for his robes and miter very early on.”  
I laughed. “And if it’s a girl?” I asked.  
“Then she will be beautiful in anything, just like her mother.”  
I closed my laptop and put it aside.   
“Oh, yeah? You think I’m beautiful, huh?” I said taking his book and putting it on the night table.   
“From the first moment I saw you dance,” he said, “and while I think you are beautiful in anything you wear… I think you are better wearing nothing.”  
He kissed me and pulled me on top of him to sit in his lap. He tugged at my tank top and I got it over my head. He was shirtless and I could feel him through his thin, black pajama pants. Since I had gotten bigger I worried that I hurt him when I was on top but he swore I was still light as a bird.   
I scooted down his legs, pulling the covers with me and took hold of his pants, sliding them down his thighs. He stroked my face as I knelt above him and he watched as I licked the tip of his dick. His body strained forward but I continued teasing him. Finally, I wet my lips and slid my mouth all the way down. He let out a shaky breath and melted into the bed. Up and down I went, every once in a while I’d pull off completely and make him wait. I ran my tongue over the underside of his cock one more time.   
“I need you to fuck me right now,” I told him. I turned around and bent over, offering myself to him. He let out a growl like I’d never heard from him before and was up behind me in a blink. He didn’t bother to take my panties off, choosing instead to pull them aside, and thrust into me with no warning.   
He held onto my hips and I had to hold onto the bed. I leaned back into him, enjoying the sensation of him inside me. As he got more aroused he leaned his chest onto my back and cupped my breasts in his hands, talking into my ear.  
“You like it, don’t you? When I fuck you?” he said. “I want you to touch your clit.”   
Steadying myself with one hand, I slid the other down between my legs. There was already plenty of slickness and my fingers gliding over my most sensitive area felt incredible. I was having a difficult time making coherent words.   
“I love the sounds you make, Bellissima,” he said then he moved his mouth right up to my ear whispering, “I want you to come for me.” and pinched my nipples hard. I began to contract around him and I felt him pulse rhythmically. I continued to push back on him until he wrapped his arms around me to hold me still.   
“Ahh,” he sighed pulling out and collapsing back onto the bed. “I think we need a shower after that one."  
When we were done cleaning up he was in the closet getting dressed and I was still drying off. I put on my underwear and noticed it was still more damp than it should be. He came out of the closet and saw me standing there, half naked and confused.   
“What is the matter, Bellissima?” he asked as he went his counter to comb his hair.   
“My panties are wet.”  
He smiled and I looked up to find a gleam in the white eye. He reached down and grabbed himself through his slacks.   
“I think I’m still half ready. Do you want to go once more?”  
“No, I mean I think my water broke.”  
If I hadn’t been just as alarmed as he was I would have laughed at the look of utter shock on his face.   
Emmi was born less than 6 hours later.


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new tour.

The guys used the time after Emmi was born to work on a new album, “Vita in Morte”, and we all doted on the beautiful little blue-eyed, blonde haired girl. The plan was to get back on the road just after her second birthday and that day felt like it came sooner than I had expected. It was much harder to pack for two people than when it had just been me.   
She would sleep in my old bunk, a side rail secured to it, and I would sleep in the very back with Papa. There were nights when I would bunk with Alpha though and occasionally on the other buses traveling with us. Nim, Calabrese, and Blitzkid had joined the tour as opening acts and tickets were selling out before the tour even began. I felt so proud of all of them.   
It had been nerve-wracking to think of dancing in front of so many people again after having a baby but I took it slow, trained hard, and felt better than ever the first night of the tour. I remembered the feeling of having the huge crowd watch me and it pumped me up. I went to change in a smaller room and just as I had gotten naked the door opened.   
“Occupied!” I called out.  
“I know,” Alpha said sticking his head around the door.   
He came in with his suit and hung it on the hook near the door. He began to get undressed, watching me as he went.   
“I thought you never got off before shows,” I said. I could feel his eyes on me as I put on my dance gear.  
“Nope, just wanted an eyeful to get ready.” He came closer to me, shirtless and with his pants undone. “After this show though, I’m going to get you.” He planted a kiss on my lips and made my knees weak.  
“I look forward to it.” I gave him a wink and went back to the larger room.   
At my vanity, I finished my hair and tied my boots. The butterflies in my stomach were in full force. I felt like someone was watching me as I applied my lipstick and checked down the mirror. There I found him, his mismatched eyes, smirking at me. He stuck his tongue out almost imperceptibly and wiggled it at me. I blushed and went back to getting ready.   
We were called to the stage and I got on my platform, there was just one now. I rubbed my hands together and took a deep breath. Just as I was about to take hold of the silver pole Papa came up behind me, nuzzling his face into my hair.   
“Mm, Bellissima, I missed those shorts.”  
He grabbed my ass and kissed my neck. “After this, I am taking you back to the bus for a private… celebration.” With that, he went to his own area and left me dying for more, but also wondering how I would deal with both him and Alpha.   
The show was incendiary. I got to watch them move and play. I had missed it so much, seeing them in their element. When it was time to introduce me Papa sauntered over to where I stood.   
“This is Rayna, you know her.”  
The crowd lost their shit.   
“I am not sure if you are aware, but you are only here tonight because this woman saved the fucking world.”  
They clapped and screamed.   
“She is also fun in bed…” he kissed the back of my hand. What a ham.   
We finished the show strong with Monstrance Clock and I held tight as I was lowered down into the stage. The crowd had loved the new material and performing for them was the highest high.   
We all got ready to greet the fans and packed up our things quickly. I was getting mischievous looks from both Alpha and Papa but I didn’t know what to do about it at the moment. Outside we met all the people waiting. They were so excited and happy. It made my heart full. We took pictures and signed things. It was uplifting.  
While the guys began the endless shower line I went to the Calabrese bus to check on Emmi. Davey kissed me as I boarded and led me back to where she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful, her blonde curls spread out around her on the pillow. On travel nights we could each read to her before she fell asleep and during shows, one or the other of us would watch her. Occasionally Sister Imperator would keep an eye on her.   
“Sister said she hasn’t woken once this evening,” he told me.   
“Maybe she feels at home on the bus. If she needs anything just give me a call. Thanks,” I said kissing him. He walked me to the bus door and I went back to my bunk. I heard the shower go off so I gathered my things and waited for the door to open. When it did Papa stepped out of the door with a towel wrapped around his waist.   
“Hello, gorgeous,” he said to me, “don’t forget to come see me when you are through.” He ducked behind his curtain and I went to shower. When I came out I saw that Alpha’s bunk curtain was closed and his Do Not Disturb sign was clipped to it. It was a bit of a bummer but I figured he was just tired. I got into my panties and a t-shirt and went to the back. When I got through the curtain I found Papa lying on his bed, covered with a sheet. It was obvious through the thin cover that he was ready for me.   
“Hello,” I said in a sultry, low voice.   
“Let me see your lovely curves, Bellissima,” he said slipping his hand beneath the sheet.   
I pulled my shirt up over my head, dropping it on the floor.   
“Show me how you like to touch yourself.”  
I placed my hands on my hips, lightly drawing my fingertips up over my bare belly. Eventually, I ran my hands over my breasts and shivered. I kept one hand on my chest and mirrored his movements by trailing the other down into my panties.   
“Close your eyes, my love,” he said to me.   
I did and it made everything more sensitive. I loved the fact that he was watching me. I heard footsteps but it sounded like they were behind me. I knew Papa was still in the bed so it surprised me when I felt someone tall move up behind me and cup my tits. I opened my eyes and turned my chin over my shoulder, Alpha smiled down at me.   
“We planned a little surprise for you, Bellissima.”  
A grin plastered itself on my face and wouldn’t let go. Papa watched as Alpha’s hands took over where mine had been. When Alpha settled his large, warm palm on my pussy I bit my lip and stared into Papa’s eyes. His hands were busy elsewhere.   
Alpha pushed on my upper back, leaning me over the bed, and pulled my panties off. He positioned himself behind me and slowly began to push his dick between my lips. Papa sat up and grabbed a bottle of lube from the shelves behind his bed. Alpha held out his hand and Papa drizzled some lube on his fingers. Those fingers ran along my slit then in between my folds and disappeared again, giving way to his cock.   
Papa pulled the sheet away from his hips and let me see how he was touching himself. He’d be slow and gentle barely running his fingers around the head and then he would wrap his hand around his shaft and give a few fast strokes. The physical and visual were enough to make a girl keel over.  
“Come here,” Papa ordered. Alpha pulled out and I crawled slowly up to Papa’s dick. I took him in my mouth but stayed on my knees so Alpha could get a good view.   
Papa pushed me back on the bed, my head hanging off the edge and put a few drops of lube on his cock. I lifted my hips so he could slide a pillow beneath them. He slid into me as I looked up at Alpha. He brought his head to my lips and I opened wide giving him room to glide into my mouth.   
Each of them had a hand on my tits and as I sucked on him Alpha leaned over to run his tongue against my clit. Being tall has its advantages. I thought my body would shut down with all of the different stimulation I was feeling.   
“Sit up and watch,” Papa told Alpha.   
The other man did as he was told and pulled out of my mouth to rub himself as he took in the show. Papa thrust into me harder, leaned in to give me a quick kiss then pulled out to rub the underside of his dick against the outside of my pussy. I lifted my head to watch him and soon his cock was bouncing rhythmically letting go of line after line of cum onto my lower belly. He turned me around toward Alpha.  
“Take her,” he ordered.   
Alpha was enthusiastic to follow this command and buried himself in me up to the hilt. I leaned against Papa’s chest as he played with my nipples and Alpha thrusted away. My legs shook and Alpha took hold of my knees, lifting them up and spreading them wide. Papa moved one hand down to rub my clit.   
“You can let go anytime,” he said.   
I did. I planted my feet on the edge of the bed and pushed back against Alpha with each movement. His breath quickened and he stayed in me until I was done. Then he pulled out and let go on my stomach, his cum mixing with Emeritus’.   
A bit later we lay in the bed together. Alpha on one side, Papa on the other, and me in the middle. They’d both fallen asleep but I was still wide awake. I watched each of them, their faces peaceful and thought back to nearly three years ago. If I hadn’t found the balls to audition I wouldn’t be here. The fear and the fight that had ensued had been worth it for where I ended up. This tour was definitely turning out to be better than the last. 

 

The end.


End file.
